


The Niflheim Experiment

by bgn846



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Gladnis, Fluff, Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Rescue, Whump, its six chapters in so don't go crazy, yeah why not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:01:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 44,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21875578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bgn846/pseuds/bgn846
Summary: Gladio has been captured by the empire! However, his rescuers are not who he expected.  Will Gladio survive his rescue and the new threat that is looming over them with the advancing empire. Unfortunately, things are not as they seem when you look closely enough.
Comments: 52
Kudos: 42





	1. In Which Life Turns Sideways

**Author's Note:**

> It was one scene flitting around in my head that set this weird fic in motion. Plus I love my whump n fluff. And Gladio needs more whump in the fanfic world. He's so much fun to take care of. XD

The sensation of hands on his neck caused Gladio to flinch. Attempting to pull away only resulted in making things worse. The heavy metal collar fastened around his neck bit into his flesh when he moved, causing him to cry out in pain. 

“Stop squirming,” Came a gruff but whispered command, “I can’t help you if you keep pulling away.” 

“Leave me alone.” Gladio managed. 

“I know you’re hurting, but I’m trying to get this collar off to get you out of here.”

It had to be a lie, another trick they were playing on him. His time in this torturous facility had been a blur of unpleasant memories. Maybe it was a good thing he couldn’t remember much. Anytime he’d awoken it was due to something painful happening to him. Struggling to focus his tired eyes on the person hovering over him, Gladio winced when the collar came free.

Rolling over to his side hurt like hell but it was first amount of movement he’d been allowed since being chained to the floor. The man continued to work on the rest of his restraints. His wrists and ankles were secured as well. 

The sound of footsteps drew his attention once more. Staring in terror at the door he sucked in a harsh breath when the high commander himself strode in. 

“Get his feet free!” The younger man commanded of Ravus when he stepped into the room. 

Ravus didn’t utter a word as he knelt down to remove the metal cuffs. Gladio didn’t know how long it’d been since the attack. He could have been lying there for weeks or hours he wasn’t sure. The only thing that had kept him somewhat sane was knowing Noct had made it to safety. Gladio had ensured that much. He could die knowing he’d done his duty as shield. 

“Did you find his clothes?” The man asked quickly.

“Highwind has them.”

Right he was half naked, he’d been stripped of all his belongings when he’d been captured. They’d unceremoniously dumped him in this room in nothing but his boxers. Gladio could actually say for once in his life he was cold. Six, he hated being so helpless.

The effort it took to not cry when the last shackle was removed was monumental. He’d been restrained the whole time and the idea that his condition might be improving was nearly too emotional to handle. Attempting to sit up didn’t go very well. Gladio barely lifted his head off the floor when a terrible pain blossomed in his stomach. He nearly passed out from the intensity. Instead Gladio curled in on himself and gasped for breath. He just wanted to go home.

The stupid assholes who’d been torturing him kept him weak enough that he couldn’t summon the armiger. First it was drug induced, but then something had changed. Gladio could feel his body behaving more and more sluggish. It was worrisome as he’d never felt like this before. It didn’t match being sick, his body felt like it was dissolving from the inside out. That couldn’t be possible though, things like that didn’t happen, did they? 

A hand grabbed his shoulder and then he felt another grab his ankle. Astrals no, they meant to lock him back up again! “Please don’t,” he begged, “leave me alone.”

This time Ravus spoke up. “Calm yourself Amicitia, we’re moving you to a stretcher. I believe I’m correct in assuming you can’t walk.” He finished.

All Gladio could do in response was nod and watch as the other man and Ravus arranged his limbs. Where were they taking him? Maybe the scientists that had been poking and prodding at him were done and now he was being left to rot in a cell somewhere. 

The ceiling lights blurred as they transported him somewhere else. The sound of a dropship engine caused Gladio to panic slightly. Turning his head he started looking for MT’s. He didn’t spot any but they were definitely headed towards one of the ships. “Are you – are you gonna drop me out from up high?” he worried.

Ravus actually looked offended at the suggestion. “No of course not.” He huffed in response.

Taking a breath to try and calm his nerves Gladio looked to the other man to see what his reaction had been. The kid seemed unfazed but when he caught him looking he tripped slightly, shifting the stretcher. 

“Watch your step Loqi, the cargo is already fairly damaged. I don’t need you breaking him further.”

The young man, Loqi, scowled at Ravus but continued into the ship.

The sharp tap of hard shoes drew Gladio’s attention once they’d made it to the bridge. Suddenly an angry looking woman was standing over him and peering down. “Why does he look like he’s dying?” She asked with a frown. 

“Highwind, must you be so tactless.” Ravus groaned as they set the stretcher down on the floor. 

“Just saying, your plan won’t work if he kicks the bucket before we make it to Lucis.”

Hearing the mention of going home caused Gladio’s heart to ache, he wanted so desperately to be done with this ordeal. Choosing to ignore the harsh words spoken by this woman Gladio tried not to panic. Another wave of pain hit him and he closed his eyes trying to breathe through the worst of it. A hand touched his forehead a second later and he leaned into the touch without thinking. 

“Shhh, here lift your head I have something soft for underneath.”

It was the woman, Highwind. Despite her gruff demeanor she carefully held his head while arranging the cushion. It was a small thing but it helped. The younger man Loqi came back into his line of vision, he was holding a blanket. Highwind took it and unfurled it over his aching body.

“Rest if you can, we have a difficult journey ahead of us.” She offered before standing and walking away. 

With nothing else to do besides fret, Gladio slowly succumbed to his exhaustion and let his mind go numb. The sound of the engines droning loudly was the last thing he remembered before passing out. 

* * *

Waking up in pain had become common place for Gladio over the past few days. This time was no different. It took several minutes to remember where he was and that no one had tried to kill him yet. 

Gasping at the terrible sensation in his body he rolled over to see if it helped. However, the spike of pain that shot through his right side was nearly unbearable and he cried out. His right arm felt so weird as he attempted to lift it out from under the blanket. The sight that greeted him was terrifying. His arm up to the elbow was black and the veins traveling up to his shoulder were tinged dark. 

His distress had garnered the attention of Loqi who’d apparently been sitting nearby. “Shit! Guys we may need to change our plans. He’s turning.”

“What!?” Ravus exclaimed as he came to investigate. “Dammit! I thought you said we’d have more time!”

“Those fuckers must have injected him again before we got him out.” Loqi cried out. “How much time do we have?”

Gladio was confused as to what Loqi was shouting about. His arm had changed color and they were clamoring on about how much time _they_ had? Wasn’t he the one that needed more time? Finally finding his voice he tried to find out what was going on. “What’s happening to me?” He gasped.

“You’re still lucid, thank the six.” Ravus spit out as he knelt down next to him. “We need to slow the process down until we figure out what to do.”

“Slow what process?” Gladio nervously asked. “Don’t take me back! Please!” He was starting to get frantic, it sounded like they needed somebody in a lab coat to examine him. 

“Calm yourself Amicitia, you’re going to make it spread faster!”

Gladio whimpered as another wave of pain ripped through his body. “It’s – it’s get’n worse, help me!”

“Loqi grab my bag!” Ravus ordered as he pushed Gladio flat on his back once more. 

Gladio barely had time to register what exactly Ravus was doing before he appeared in his line of sight holding a syringe. “NO! I don’t want that!” Gladio shouted as Ravus took the cap off. 

“Gladiolus I need to slow your heart rate down or you’ll die!”

Continuing to shake his head no Gladio couldn’t even fight back when Ravus injected the contents into his neck. The needle stung going in but it was nothing compared to the pain still coursing through the right side of his body. The last thing Gladio heard before he blacked out was Ravus ordering the dropship to a new location. 

* * *

The feeling of delicate hands grasping his face brought Gladio’s mind back to the present. A rush of cool tingling magic flowed through his body as he struggled to work out what was happening. Attempting to pry open his eyelids didn’t work, they felt like lead. No, his entire body felt that way. He couldn’t move at all and the now familiar feeling of a panic attack was starting to form.

Trying to speak didn’t go as planned either, his voice came out more like a guttural choking noise. This at least elicited a response from someone nearby. 

“You’re alright, please try to relax.” 

The voice was female but it didn’t sound like the woman he’d met earlier, Highwind. Forever stubborn, Gladio swallowed and tried to talk again. “Help me.” Was all he could muster. 

The unknown voice came back with a response. “I am, you’re alright.”

Something that sounded like an explosion caused him to suck in a harsh breath. What was going on? The sound of pounding footsteps came next and he heard Ravus shouting instructions to someone. Something about leaving now or they’d all be dead. He wanted to ask so many questions, but the moment he tried to open his mouth a second time a rush of magic overwhelmed his mind. 

Things were very fuzzy after that, the noise of the engines filled his ears as he tried to stay conscious. Needless to say it didn’t work. His brief waking moments after that were incredibly hard to understand. Gladio had to go through the same mental gymnastics each time he surfaced. Where was he, what was happening, was he still alive or had he died? Thankfully the pain that had seemed omnipresent in his body was gone. He could count that as a small blessing.

Struggling to gather information from bits of conversation wasn’t easy, since Gladio never stayed conscious long enough to hear the full context. The first time it occurred he’d heard Ravus arguing with someone.

“We can’t very well use it to travel to Lucis now can we?!” The response was muffled but Ravus continued on. “If we survive this mess I’ll buy you a new one!”

Were they talking about a car? Suddenly his body jostled to the side making him panic slightly. Still unable to open his eyes or move he was working to stay calm. It took far too long to realize the stretcher he’d been laid out on had been lifted.

“Loqi don’t pout, it doesn’t become you.” Ravus sighed after a moment. 

“I can carry her.” The younger boy huffed from somewhere near his feet.

“True, I just don’t want you too,” came the clipped response. 

He slipped into a daze listening to Ravus and Loqi argue about carrying people. Gladio knew he was heavy but that was because he was a tall guy. The next time he came to it was because a woman was talking. It sounded like Highwind. 

“I’m going out whether you like it or not!”

“It’s not wise to do that yet.” Ravus all but yelled.

“Well in case you hadn’t noticed we’ve got no supplies, and people to care for.” Highwind spit back. “Look it, I got us good accommodations for a few days, let’s take advantage of the break and get a plan put together.” 

Gladio heard Ravus sigh heavily. Trying to pry his eyelids open finally worked, though it was only a fraction. The bright light that came streaming back made him immediately stop. Exhaustion drug him under once more as Ravus and Highwind bickered. 

* * *

“Are you sure it worked?” Was the excited whisper that roused him this time. However, he’d not heard enough to determine who’d spoken. Taking a steadying breath he worked to open his eyes. Thank the six Gladio was able to complete this task, he was beginning to worry he’d never figure out where he was. 

“Finally!” A blurry figure hovering over him huffed. “We thought you’d never come around.” 

“Wha--,” he ground out before stopping and trying to swallow. Shit, his mouth was dry. 

“Here you need to drink.” Ravus’ disembodied voice sounded from somewhere.

“Can’t,” he croaked.

“We’ll help,” Ravus replied, “Loqi go grab his arm and make sure he stays upright.”

Having the world tilt into perspective was dizzying. This also brought the sudden realization that Gladio had absolutely no strength left. Unable to voice his fear of collapsing onto the floor he whined instead. 

“We won’t let you fall, don’t worry.” Ravus calmly stated as he took a seat next to him. 

Several things happened after Ravus sat down. Gladio finally noticed that they were in a hotel room as he scanned the space. Gripping something soft with his fingers caused him to look down, a real fucking bed. Thank the astrals, no wonder he was having such a hard time waking up. The last thing he picked up on nearly made his eyes bulge out of his head. 

Resting on the other bed in the room was Lady Lunafreya Nox Flueret. 

“Your sister?” Gladio questioned in a rasp. 

Ravus hummed in response as he reached to grab a glass of water. “Here drink.” 

Gladio didn’t complain when Ravus wouldn’t let him hold the glass on his own. He knew what the result would be. Water all over the six damned floor. It also kept him from gulping the entire contents down in one go. 

“When did your sister show up?” Gladio inquired still in shock after he took a breath. 

Loqi butted in before Ravus had the chance. “You were turning into a daemon so we needed to kidnap the princess to heal you.”

“I was wha – wait kidnap!” Gladio was having a hard time processing everything he’d been told.

“Loqi, you tactless heathen!” Ravus hissed, “She came willingly.”

Loqi sneered at Ravus and shook his head. “Anyway that’s what happened. It worked though which is good.” He finished with a crooked grin.

Gladio could feel his heart rate escalating. “I was a daemon?” 

“You were in the process of turning so we had no choice.” Ravus admitted solemnly. “Though considering the circumstances I would say we liberated versus kidnapped her.”

“Why do I feel so weak?”

“The healing process took a lot out of you, and I suspect you’ll be bed ridden for a few days more,” mused Ravus. Luna has been resting since she finished saving you.”

“Oh – but she’s okay right?” he checked looking over to the other bed. Luna’s fair hair was the only thing showing from under the blanket.

“Yes, she will recover.”

Smiling with relief Gladio took a deep breath to test how he felt. He was pleasantly surprised to find there was no pain. Listing to the side he came to rest on Ravus’ shoulder. His own scent wafted up to his nostrils once he’d stopped moving making Gladio wince. “Titan’s ass I stink.” He sighed and suddenly overcome with embarrassment he tried to pull away.

“I don’t hold that against you Gladiolus, you’ve had a rough week.” Ravus answered as he kept him from falling over further. “How about you take a bath?”

“Don’t laugh at me as I crawl to the bathroom.” He huffed dejectedly. 

“Nonsense we’ll help you. Loqi go turn the water on to get it hot.

The younger man got up and ran off. When Ravus went to lift him, Gladio promptly tumbled to the floor in a heap. “Shit! Sorry!” Gladio lamented with a heavy sigh. 

“Are you hurt?”

“Just my pride.”

“Gladiolus I dare say your pride can shove off, you’ve been through quite an ordeal. Fretting over how fast your body can heal won’t do you any good.”

Nodding slowly Gladio wondered why Ravus was being so nice. Did they have plans to do something to him once he’d healed? That was stupid, because the stronger he got the easier it would be to fight back. He’d eventually be able to summon his sword from the armiger again. 

Focusing on getting back on his feet wasn’t working very well. Ravus’ first attempt to right him resulted in Gladio falling back down with a thump. Maybe the dated carpet would swallow him whole to spare him this misery. 

Apparently Gladio was too upset to notice Loqi returning and kneeling next to him. “Ravus isn’t as strong as you think, he clearly needs my help.” Loqi announced in a condescending tone. “Come on big guy let’s get you off the floor.” 

The use of the term ‘big guy’ triggered something in his psyche. Images of his family and friends began coursing through his mind. His dad and Iris, Noct and Prompto, Cor, _Ignis_ , it was all too much to bear. He’d never wanted to be home so bad in his life. Things were improving, that was a fact, but he couldn’t really be sure he was safe until he’d arrived at the gates of the citadel. 

It wasn’t until he sucked in a labored breath did Gladio realize he’d started crying. The tears kept coming no matter how hard he tried to calm down. Folding in on himself Gladio sobbed into his hands unable to stop the torrent of emotions welling up. 

“Shit! What do we do?” Loqi asked frantically. 

Gladio wasn’t sure either of them would understand how he felt. No, that wasn’t true; Ravus had suffered horribly in his life. His mother, the queen, had been murdered in front of him leaving his sister and him to the mercy of the empire. Ravus would probably think his current display was unbecoming. Unfortunately, this idea caused him to cry harder. 

A warm hand pressed into his back as he sat crumpled on the floor. “Are you in pain?”

Of course Ravus would ask something logical like that! Managing a rough shake of his head Gladio sucked in air as he worked to breathe properly. The hand went away and he could tell Ravus had moved. Guess they were going to leave him to it. Maybe they’d cover him with a blanket when he’d finished losing his six damned mind. 

A groggy voice filtered down to his ears a moment later. “What’s going on? Ravus stop pulling me; I can sit up on my own.”

“Luna, your assistance is needed, if you don’t mind.” Ravus responded.

“What on Eos do you ne --,” She gasped, most likely after she’d noticed the scene he was making. “What did you two do?!” Luna demanded stern as ever. 

“Nothing! We were helping Gladio to the bath when he broke down. Perhaps you could lend a hand.” Ravus defended.

“Okay! I’m coming, stop pulling me!” Luna huffed followed by a thud, “Oomphff! I told you not to pull.” She chastised amid the sound of a slap. 

“Luna!” Ravus growled in a tone Gladio was all too familiar with, Iris would irritate him to no end at times so he could relate. 

The thought of his little sister not knowing his fate made him break down further. He had to get home. It took a while before Gladio registered that someone was rubbing his back. Luna was next to him it appeared. 

“Shhh, Gladio it’s alright, we’re taking you home. Please don’t fret.” She cooed in his ear. 

“Pro –promise?” He spit out brokenly. 

This time it was Ravus that answered. “Yes, Gladiolus we promise. It’s imperative that you rest and build your stamina back up. We have much to discuss.”

“Astrals -- I’m a mess.” He ground out in between his sobs. 

Ravus sighed next to him, “You are a mess Gladiolus --,”

“Ravus!” Luna hissed.

“But – you have every right to be!” he finished quickly. “You have been through quite an ordeal; it’s understandable that you need to collect your thoughts.” 

Gladio groaned in response. He had no strength left to deal with this breakdown he was experiencing. 

“Let’s get you into the bathroom, I’m sure the tub is nearly filled by now.”

Luna’s hand withdrew from his back and moved to grab his wrist. “It’s alright Gladio, please focus on healing.” 

“I thought you did that already.” He whispered.

“I did but you still need to rest and recover.” 

Giving a small nod he tried to push himself upright. All three of them had to hold him steady. The tears had finally stopped, but Gladio felt raw and exposed. This time with Loqi on his other side he was able to stand. Though his legs felt like jelly. Making an effort to walk didn’t really help and Loqi and Ravus ended up practically dragging him to the bathroom. 

“Where’s Luna?” Gladio asked once he’d noticed her absence. 

“Waiting for me to help her, she’s tired just like you.” Ravus offered as they approached the now full tub. “Can you lift your leg?” 

That innocent question started the biggest shit show Gladio had been party to in a long time. Ravus ordered Loqi to shut off the water. This caused Gladio to nearly topple Ravus and him to the floor. Loqi yelped and took his position again to save them. 

Next came the problem of getting his six foot six frame into a bathtub the size of a shoebox. Focusing on lifting his leg for the first step was a complete disaster. His toe caught the edge and he nearly went sprawling backwards on the tile. Thank the six it was agreed that leaving his boxers on was the best option. Gladio didn't think he could handle the implications of that move.

After a solid five minutes and some terse words between Ravus and Loqi he was situated in the bath. Loqi was soaked from his knees down and Ravus had nearly clocked the blond at one point. However, he was too exhausted to care. The warm water felt so good. The one and only advantage to the undersized tub was Gladio had no chance of drowning. He was just too damn tall. The hot water eased his tension as he relaxed. Time moved slowly after that and Gladio drifted in and out of sleep as he sat in the tub. 

A strong floral scent invaded Gladio’s senses as he jerked awake. “Wha’s going on?” he rasped looking around. The woman HIghwind was crouched on the floor next to him.

“Just washing your hair,” she answered. It’ll be easier now that you’re awake. Tilt your head forward for me.” 

Gladio was going to question this action but her fingers felt so good massaging his scalp. It didn’t take long and he was following her every instruction. “What do I call you?”

“Names Aranea.” She responded curtly. “What do I call you?”

“Gladio.” 

“I’ll have to tell Ravus, he’s all formal with the full name bullshit.”

Gladio closed his eyes once again and hummed in response as Aranea rinsed out his hair with the sprayer. Who knew a good hot bath and shampoo could feel so damn good. A light tap to his arm brought him back to the present. “Yeah?” he mumbled. 

“Who’s Ignis?”

He had no control over his emotions it seemed as heat spread across his face. “Who?” he asked trying to play off her question as completely random. 

“Uh huh – not gonna work Gladio. You called out for him earlier.” 

Letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding Gladio debating about telling Aranea his life’s story. These people were still the enemy to him. “He’s the Prince of Lucis’ royal advisor.” He answered instead. That information was public and it also wasn’t a lie. 

Aranea leaned in closer and shook her head. “I won’t tell the others if that’s what you’re worried about, but that’s not the answer I was looking for.” 

“What if I don’t want to say?” Gladio tried.

“You’re gonna seriously make me guess?” She huffed. “Fine.” Aranea then looked up as if in thought. “So I’m gonna guess forbidden lover.”

Again the flush in his face stayed strong and even started to spread to his neck. Opting to stare straight ahead he pursed his lips together tightly. He wasn’t going to say anything more.

“Hmmm I’m close – ok maybe not forbidden then. Secret?”

Gladio could feel his composure starting to crack. Thinking of Ignis wasn’t helping either. He missed him terribly and wanted nothing more than to spend a week in the man’s embrace away from all this chaos. Tears were pricking at the corner of his eyes again. Aranea instantly picked up on his distress and backed off. 

“Whoa, sorry hun, I didn’t mean to get you all emotional again,” she apologized. “Loqi said you had a breakdown earlier. I didn’t mean anything bad by it. I won’t say anything though ok.”

Nodding minutely Gladio managed to lift his arm out of the water to wipe his eyes. “I miss him so much.” He choked out. “I miss everybody.”

“Our goal is to get you back to Lucis in one piece. Trust us.” Aranea finished as she reached for the drain to release the water. “Let’s get you back in the bed and resting.” 

“I want – I want to go home.” Gladio sputtered.

“I know sweety, we are working on it, I gotta get us a car first okay.” 

“Why?”

Aranea raised an eyebrow quizzically. “So we can drive there silly.” was the sarcastic response. Before Gladio could clarify she smirked. “We’re defecting, the whole lot of us. The emperor is crazy and we don’t want to deal with his bullshit anymore.” 


	2. Things Become Clear, But Only Just

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio focuses on healing while trying to figure out what exactly is going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter, I've got lots of stuff planned and I'm excited to share it all! :)
> 
> Quick note, this story happens before the events in the kingsglaive movie so Ravus has two flesh and blood arms. Its not super relevant but I forgot to mention it before.

Hushed voices sounded in his ears as Gladio struggled to understand his current surroundings.

“He needs to eat; magic can only do so much.” Luna announced kindly. 

“That’s all well and good, but he’s been out like a light since that bath. We’ve all tried to wake him up, it’s just not happening.” Aranea defended.

“M’wake,” Gladio managed as he opened his eyes. It was the mention of food that really roused him. It brought the realization of what the slight pain in his stomach might be. Hunger. When his eyes focused, he came face to face with Luna and Aranea. They were hovering over him and looked worried. Gladio squirmed slightly at the attention. “Hi,” was all he could think to say. 

Luna smiled, and sat down on the edge of the bed he was lying in. When did that happen? Last thing he remembered was sitting in a tiny bath and crying over missing Ignis. Gladio had no choice but to push aside his memories for the time being. He knew he’d start to get upset all over again. 

“Can you sit up?” Luna asked.

Gladio tried first before he answered. No point in saying he could if it didn’t work. Lifting his head off the pillow was all he could manage. “Guess not,” he grumbled after he plonked his head back down.

“We’ll help you, don’t mope,” Aranea supplied as she rounded the bed and climbed on. “Peanut and Ravus are being such butts already.”

Caught off guard by the use of the word peanut, Gladio tried to figure out what she was talking about. “Uh -- peanut?” 

“Yeah, Loqi. The little blond kid that thinks he’s the astrals gift to man.” 

“Oh, but why peanut?”

Aranea sighed loudly. “He comes up to your armpit Gladio so he’s small like a peanut.”

Luna’s laughter filled the room a second later, and Gladio couldn’t help but smile at the sight. She was blushing and trying mightily to hide it. “You don’t call him that to his face do you?” he asked quickly.

“Nah, he’d probably try and stab me or something, but I don’t think he could reach my heart anyway.” Aranea deadpanned.

Again, Luna laughed and let a snort lose as she turned away completely to hide her face. It was impossible not to join in while Luna sat and laughed so hard she cried. Gladio lost his composure a few seconds later and barked out a laugh. It felt good to let go and relax, he needed this moment of normalcy more than he realized. 

Once Luna had recovered her wits she helped Aranea pull him up. Pillows were soon stuffed behind his back, and the moment Gladio had been waiting for arrived. Food! 

Gladio didn’t care about the silly, yummy noises he was making while he ate. His body was clearly craving sustenance. It also took him far too long, to pick up on the fact that he was wearing fresh clothes. Apparently, being warm and cozy for the first time since his capture distracted Gladio. Not that he minded. “Who had to drag me outta the tub?” he asked after a moment.

“Loqi and Ravus took care of that, along with getting you changed.”

Luna rolled her eyes at the comment and huffed lightly. Gladio became immediately concerned that he’d said something bad in his exhausted state. “Did I do anything --.”

Aranea cut him off before he could finish. “Nah, it’s all good. Ravus didn’t want his sister to see your manhood.”

“What about you?!” Gladio spit out with wide eyes. 

“I was also banned from the bathroom. Your dignity is still intact.”

Gladio couldn’t really think of what to say in response. He was grateful they hadn’t all seen him passed out and naked. Especially Luna. Though, he didn’t mind Aranea helping. She was the only one who knew about Ignis and it made a difference for some reason. “Where’d the clothes come from?” Gladio asked finally.

“I was out shopping earlier. So you can thank me later for making you look good.”

Smiling Gladio huffed out a small breath out. “Duly noted. Uh – where are peanut and Ravus now?” Luna snickered quietly as Aranea responded.

“They were not happy with my purchases so they have gone out to find something else. Good luck to them, this little outpost doesn’t have much.”

“You were able to talk Ravus out of wearing his armor?” Gladio asked incredulously.

“I did the deed,” announced Luna, “otherwise, he was going to wander around looking like a robot in all that metal he wears.”

“Any chance my old clothes survived?” He asked, since the image of Ravus shopping jogged his memory.

“I grabbed a bag of what should be your stuff before we left Niflheim.” Aranea replied with a shrug. “I know I saw a pair of boots in there so that’ll help when we leave here. Why? Is there anything special you’re worried about?” she asked seriously.

Shaking his head no, Gladio thought about what he had on him when he’d been captured. He doubted his cell phone had survived. His wallet was the only other thing of interest, and it only had cash and one credit card. The idea that someone in Niflheim was grabbing a coffee with his stolen card made him laugh softly. 

“What’s so funny?” Luna queried.

“Just wondering if anyone stole my credit card.”

“Depends kiddo, was the limit very high?” Aranea quipped. “Besides, I don’t think cards from ‘bank of Insomnia’ work in Niflheim.” She mused with a smirk. 

At the mention of Insomnia, Gladio’s mood dampened. “I wanna go home,” he sighed. “How long are we going to stay here?”

Luna instantly pouted and went to sit next to him at the head of the bed. “We need to find transportation, and then we can leave.” She answered while patting his arm. 

“What happened to the drop ship?”

“Someone’s brother made me leave it behind because it drew too much attention.” Aranea huffed. “I’ve got a car lined up. When the boys get back I’ll go get it.” 

“Why can’t you go now?” Gladio asked confused.

Aranea sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. “Ravus doesn’t want his sister to be alone with you.”

“I can’t even sit up on my own, what makes him think I’m gonna do anything? Not that I would anyway!” He defended.

“Don’t you have a little sister? Wouldn’t you act the same way?”

Gladio’s mind filled with memories of Iris, and his composure threatened to crack again. Six, he missed his family. Unable to answer the question without losing to his emotions, he simply nodded in response. 

“Don’t get all weepy on me!” Aranea sputtered quickly. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way!” 

Raising his hands, and bowing his head slightly, Gladio agreed. “Okay, okay, I just miss everybody. I don’t mean to sound so needy.”

“Considering what happened I think you are allowed. We really are working to get to Lucis. It’s not safe for us all our here anyway.” Aranea offered seriously.

“I still don’t understand what triggered this mass exodus.”

Humming thoughtfully, Aranea took a deep breath before continuing. “The emperor is crazy for starters. The path he is taking Niflheim on will only spell disaster for the country.” Pausing she fidgeted with her shirt. “We’d been planning to leave for months but your capture gave us the perfect opening.”

Gladio was still perplexed. “Why does having me with you make a difference?”

“Whether you like it or not, you’re our ticket into Lucis. The son of the king’s shield should grant us all entry. We are hoping that’ll be the case, otherwise we’re screwed.”

Blinking slowly Gladio tried to gather his thoughts. He wasn’t sure what he’d heard was good news or bad. They were merely using him as a tool to help get into Lucis. “What does Lucis have that you need?” 

“The crystal and a sane leader.”

“So, you all decided to break me out. Just so you don’t get shot when you roll up to the city gates and then what?! Steal the crystal for yourselves?” Gladio angrily spit out. 

“No! Gladio, you don’t understand what we mean to do.” Aranea responded vehemently. “We want to join forces with Lucis and fight against Niflheim.”

“Why didn’t you break me out sooner?” He asked sadly. 

“Oh hun, we tried believe me.” Aranea cooed. “Versteal’s asshat scientists wouldn’t leave you alone, so we had to wait.” 

Gladio felt sick thinking back to what he’d gone through. His memories were fuzzy on what he’d endured, which was a small blessing. The pain, Gladio could remember, and that made him shudder. Suddenly, a feeling of utter exhaustion overtook his body. Luna noticed first and began rubbing his shoulder.

“Gladio? Are you alright?” She asked with concern.

No, he wasn’t alright, but Gladio didn’t know what to say. It felt like he’d done nothing but whine since the rescue. Opting to shake his head no Gladio focused on not having another breakdown.

“Come on, you’ve finished your food. Why don’t you lie down again?” Tried Luna. 

Honestly, he didn’t want to sleep. Gladio had been passed out for most of his rescue, and he was tired of being confused. However, the need for rest was too strong, and he could feel his eye lids closing. Both women were by his side in an instant, pulling him forward to remove all the pillows stuffed behind his back. 

Once he was fully horizontal Gladio’s body began to shut down. “I don’t wanna sleep,” he slurred, “I need help.” 

Luna shushed him and began stroking his forehead. “It’s okay, rest. You’re safe.” 

“No m’n not,” he whimpered, “m’just being used.”

“No, that’s not true! Don’t talk like that!” Luna exclaimed in a panic. “Gladio – Gladio! Please believe me! Gla --.”

The rest of her words died away as he slipped into darkness. 

* * *

Fevered shouting filled the room, waking Gladio up with a start. He must have cried out, because everyone was now looking at him. Luna was crying and standing in such a way that indicated she was very angry. Oh six, something really bad had happened after he’d passed out. Maybe they’d realized their plan was shit, and they didn’t need him anymore. 

Swallowing hard Gladio made to speak, but Ravus cut him off. “It has come to my attention that you are feeling less than --.”

“Just let me go, I won’t say anything!” He blurted without thinking.

Ravus looked so surprised by this statement that he actually let his mouth drop open. “Wha – that’s not – what?” He tried again.

“See! I told you! He thinks we are merely using him.” Luna defended in between sniffles. 

“That is not our intention Luna! I’ve been over this with you already.” Ravus huffed. 

“I believe you!” She shouted in return. “It’s Gladio, you have to convince.”

Sighing heavily through his nose Ravus turned towards Gladio. “As I was saying, it has been brought to my attention that you are upset regarding your current situation.”

“Ravus!” Luna interrupted, “will you please get to the point.”

The look Ravus leveled at his sister was so familiar to Gladio. He’d experienced the same emotion before when arguing with his sister. 

Once more the stoic man directed his attention to Gladio and spoke. “We only have the best intentions for you, please trust us.”

Luna outright yelled after his comment. “Why must you be so callous?”

“Enough!” Aranea bellowed. “We are wasting time we don’t have! You two, get out and get the car ready. Loqi, you help me get Gladio up and outta bed.”

Gladio decided being quiet was a good idea and waited anxiously for more instructions. Ravus had a mini staring contest with Aranea, but eventually gave up when Luna grabbed his arm and pushed him towards the door. When brother and sister were out of the room, Aranea flipped the bird at the door. 

“That was for Ravus not Luna,” she added casually.

Nodding, but staying silent, Gladio tried his best to do what he was told. Aranea seemed like she was at her wits end, and Loqi wasn’t far behind. Though, they were both being very careful with him. Perhaps what Luna had told him earlier was true, maybe they did want to help. 

It didn’t take long to get freshened up and ready to go. Being unable to stand, made things tricky when they finally left the room. Gladio had at least gotten some of his strength back, and could move his legs slightly. The room was on ground level thankfully, which meant there were no stairs to contend with.

Though, nothing would have prepared him for the sight that greeted him when they rounded the corner of the building. The world’s dumpiest looking sedan sat waiting for them. It had so many dents in the body that it looked mottled on purpose. 

“What is that?” He choked out. 

Aranea piped up with distain, “Tweedle dee and tweedle dum bought the wrong damn car.”

“It’s so small,” Gladio wondered. “How are we all gonna fit?”

Before anyone could answer Luna called them over. She had the back driver’s side door open and ready. “I made a spot for you.”

His descent into the car wasn’t exactly graceful, but thank the six, he fit. The driver’s seat in front of him had been pushed forward to allow room for his legs. Luna it seemed was working hard to accommodate his needs. 

Peering around at the dated upholstery and the general wear and tear, Gladio feared the car might not get them to Lucis. Turning to ask Luna when they were leaving drew his attention to a rather heated discussion happening nearby. Ravus and Loqi were arguing over something. Leaning out of the car slightly Gladio finally heard a few words. They were debating about who would drive. 

“I’m driving and that’s final.” Ravus hissed. 

“Listen up, grandpa, I already called dibs on driving earlier.”

“That means nothing, and calling me names due to my hair color is rather immature.” 

“You’re old Ravus, it has nothing to do with your hair.” Loqi snapped. 

Gladio looked on in disbelief as Ravus suddenly lunged at Loqi. The little blond kid dove out of the way at the last minute, and turned kicking Ravus in the backside. Things degraded severely after that move. Ravus now fully vested in the fight, began working harder to take Loqi down. Watching the two of them chase each other around the parking lot in street clothes was weird. 

Luna kept trying to call out to her brother, but he wouldn’t listen. Aranea had long since walked away. Clearly she was fed up with their antics. Gladio wanted to help but he didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t physically able to pull them apart. Things seemed to be cooling off after a few minutes until Ravus mucked it all up again. 

Gladio easily heard Ravus call Loqi, the empire’s dog, as they were walking back to the car. In a flash Loqi had jumped on Ravus’ back and was pulling his hair. The older man shouted but couldn’t shake Loqi. The kid had a death grip and was very angry. 

This was so childish, they needed to leave and this wasn’t helping. The instinct to intervene won out over common sense and Gladio moved to get out of the car. He promptly tumbled to the ground with his feet still stuck inside. The fragile hold he had on his temper shattered in that instant.

Shouting at the top of his lungs he begged for them to stop. “ENOUGH! Stop acting like kids!” He tried. “One of you assholes can ride in the trunk if you don’t want to play nice!”

The shock of his interruption caused Ravus to trip and stumble. Loqi quickly disentangled himself and backed away. The kid immediately ran over to him, giving Ravus a wide berth. “Here let me help you up.” He offered quickly. 

“Leave me be,” Gladio groaned, “Just call my dad and have him come pick me up. I’m gonna be dead from shock before we ever get to Lucis.”

“We can’t call ahead big guy,” Loqi sighed. “Your military has already been infiltrated by a traitor, and we can’t alert them to our plans.”

That statement caught Gladio’s attention right away. “We have to warn the king!” He exclaimed while attempting to right himself. It didn’t work and he collapsed a second time. “Fuck this shit!” He bellowed while slamming his fist into the dirt. 

Luna’s soft voice filtered through the air a moment later. “We need to leave right away. I was not aware of this development.” 

Crunching gravel announced Aranea’s return. “Did one of you shitheads hurt Gladio?!” she asked quickly. Not waiting for answer she began giving orders. “Loqi you’re driving since your short and the seat is pushed forward for Gladio’s long legs.”

“Want me to help Gladio first?” 

Loqi did indeed help him back into the seat. The kid seemed genuinely sorry for causing such trouble. He made sure Gladio had enough space for his legs and began adjusting his seat to drive. Ravus had since wandered back over, and slipped into the front passenger seat without a word. Luna gracefully climbed into the backseat and scooted up so close to Gladio he could feel her heart pounding. Ravus had the nerve to turn and scowl at her but she simply crossed her arms and ignored him. Aranea managed to fit in the space that was left next to Luna. With one final adjustment of mirrors, and confirmation of the direction to drive, Loqi set the car in gear, and turned onto the main road.


	3. Are We There Yet?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions run a little high as the group deals with their emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this chapter kicked my butt in terms of writers block. I think I'm back on track so sorry the update took a little longer than expected. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! Thanks for reading so far. :)

_Did you know that I missed you? I don’t think we can keep this a secret anymore. I want to be with you and I want everyone to know about it._

_Ignis hummed in response and smiled sweetly. His boyfriend continued to run his fingers through Gladio’s hair. It felt so good._

“Babe, don’t ever stop.” Gladio sighed contentedly. A quick gasp from someone else nearby made Gladio snap his head up. Blinking around stupidly he realized he wasn’t at home. Ignis hadn’t been there at all, Gladio had been dreaming. Groaning he laid his head back down and took a deep breath. 

A full five seconds later he cried out in a panic, “What the hell happened?”

Aranea soon appeared in his field of vision and smiled. “Uh – I was giving you a scalp massage and you freaked out.”

“You called her babe!” Luna chimed in excitedly. She was sitting to his left and had also leaned in closer to look at him. 

Soft blades of grass tickled his fingers as he took in his surroundings. He was yet again lying down somewhere. One thing of note, was his pillow, it was warm and kept moving. Tilting his head to the side revealed it was Aranea’s lap his head was settled on. “How did I get here?” He asked trying very hard not to blush. He’d endured enough cringe worthy moments in the past twenty four hours to last him a lifetime.

“You don’t remember?” Aranea asked with concern.

“Uh – sorta.” Gladio took a moment to reflect and was rewarded with some interesting memories. “I went nuts didn’t I?”

“Yep, you woke up suddenly and started shouting about needing to stretch. Loqi had to pull over when you kept trying to open the car door.” Aranea offered.

“Then when the car stopped you threw yourself out and collapsed on the side of the road.” Luna finished.

Gladio wished the eos would swallow him whole, he was doing all these super embarrassing things and it was terrible. “Astrals, why me?” He whined in distain.

“We all needed a rest, don’t sweat it. Besides it gave us a break from the wonder twins.” Aranea huffed.

Luna waved her hands to get his attention. “You called her babe,” she repeated again. “Did you two get up to something before I joined the party?” 

Nearly choking at the idea Gladio worked to explain his comment. Aranea beat him to it. “He was most likely dreaming about his boyfriend.” With that simple statement she went right back to scratching his head.

Luna went white as a sheet at the comment. Great, now Gladio had to deal with this on top of everything else. He didn’t take Luna for the type to get put off by him having a boyfriend and not a girlfriend. Gladio’s mind was reeling; he didn’t know what to say that might make things better. 

“Who?” She finally asked still visibly shocked by the idea.

“Uh – well.” Gladio didn’t really want to say for fear of the repercussions. If she wasn’t happy with him dating a guy, then he didn’t want her casting Ignis in the same bad light.

“It’s not Noct is it?” Luna whispered with wide eyes. 

Okay, that question made sense, he could at least clear Noct’s name. “No! Not the prince,” he sputtered.

Luna sighed with what seemed like relief, and promptly collapsed on his stomach. “You scared me Gladio, I thought maybe Noct hadn’t told me because he was scared or --.” She never finished the thought. “For the record, even if it was Noct I would still be happy for you.”

“You were scared!” Gladio yelped, “I thought you were going to hit me with a stick or something.”

Laughing brightly Luna pinched him in the side. “I’m not like that!” 

“Hey, so where are the others?” Gladio asked once his heart rate had returned to something closer to normal.

“They went to go get food and gas. There’s a little outpost a couple miles from here.”

“Where are we sleeping tonight?”

“Nowhere.” Aranea answered with a blank look. “We’re driving straight through to Insomnia.” 

“Really?” Gladio asked hopeful. 

“Sure, so long as the shitbox Ravus bought lasts.” Aranea huffed, “Sorry Luna, but your brother can be a total dick sometimes.”

“I’m aware of that,” she answered softly, “he means well.”

“I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you both since the empire attacked.” Gladio offered. “I’ve been away from my family and friends for a week tops and I’m a total wreck.” 

“We’ve adapted. I think Ravus still has some things to work through, but I’m hoping this trip will force the issue, as it were.”

“Speak of the devil, I see the car.” Aranea chimed in. “Hopefully they brought back some good food, I’m starving.” 

Lifting his head again Gladio could see a trail of dust coming closer. The car seemed to be traveling pretty fast which was odd. Soon it got close enough for Gladio to hear the tires on the side of the road. From his position he really couldn’t see much. The sound of one car door slamming was also unexpected. Aranea had indicated that both Loqi and Ravus had gone out in search of supplies. 

“Is something wrong?” Gladio asked quickly still unable to get a good visual. 

Luna had stood up and was making a face. “Where’s Loqi?”

“I kicked him out.” Ravus huffed as he walked over and dropped two bags of food at their feet. 

Aranea spoke up before Luna had a chance. “Excuse me? What did you do?”

“He was behaving like a ruffian so I kicked him out of the car.”

“We need to go back and get him!” Luna shouted. “What if he gets mad and tells the empire where we are!”

“Nonsense, he won’t do that.” Ravus said with an air of authority. “He was screaming about punching me in the face. I believe he wishes to do that before he makes other plans.”

Luna looked like she was about to punch Ravus herself. She was pissed. “Ravus, if this causes trouble for us I’ll stop talking to you.”

“Luna, we’re two miles from the outpost. It won’t take him that long to walk here.”

Needless to say the next thirty minutes passed far too slowly. The mood was tense as they all waited for any sign of Loqi. Finally, right after Aranea announced that she was going back to get him, he showed up. He seemed composed but it was clear he was angry. 

Gladio thought for sure he would try and pick another fight with Ravus. Instead Loqi completely ignored him and strode over to sit next to Luna. He was slightly sweaty from walking in the afternoon sun. Nudging the bag near his feet Gladio stared at Luna. She picked up on his hint and retrieved a bottle of water from it, promptly handing it over to Loqi. The kid took it with a small nod and proceeded to guzzle most of the contents. 

For the next hour Gladio was treated to a show of sorts. The food was doled out and Loqi focused all of his attention on Luna. He was flirting, hard. Ravus thought that leveling death glares at the blond would make a difference. It did nothing. Loqi continued on like he wasn’t even there. 

Luna wasn’t sure how to handle the advances at first, but after ten minutes she was giggling and enjoying the attention. Gladio had assumed, based off her reaction from earlier, that she liked Noct. However, watching her eagerly encourage Loqi made him wonder; maybe Luna wasn’t as invested in Noct as he’d thought. Even Aranea raised an eyebrow at the pair as they sat on the grass and laughed. 

For the first time since his rescue, Gladio was able to stay upright without support. Granted, he teetered a few times but a quick shove from Aranea righted him. Despite the apparent difficulties Ravus and Loqi had with each other, they had managed to bring back some good food. They spent another hour lounging and stretching out their legs. 

Ravus disappeared at one point. Gladio assumed he didn’t want to see Loqi fawning over his sister anymore. The young shield was surprised he’d not yelled at Loqi about already. If Iris was getting hit on by someone Gladio would definitely be trying to put a stop to it. 

As he sat and pondered, Gladio began to wonder how much time brother and sister actually got to spend together. Ravus was the high commander or something in the empire’s army. Or at least he was up until a few days ago, before he helped him escape. Dwelling on the truth Gladio sighed heavily, he hadn’t been helped. He’d simply been part of _their_ plan. He wasn’t complaining, but it still felt weird to not be in control. 

Luna instantly picked up on his mood swing, even though she was still neck deep in Loqi’s smothering attention efforts. “Gladio are you alright? What’s the matter?” She asked quickly.

Raising his hands to indicate nothing Gladio remained silent. He didn’t trust his emotional state at the moment. Crying again wasn’t entirely off the table if he tried to explain himself. 

Pouting, the princess took a breath out through her nose. “I know something is wrong.”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now.” Gladio tried.

Opening her mouth to speak again, Luna was cut off by Aranea. “Honey, let him be.” 

“I don’t understand why you men can be so stubborn!” Luna blurted. “I’m so sick of having to deal with everyone bottling their feelings up.” She balled her fists up and stared intently at him, as if to make him talk by sheer will power alone. 

“I’m sorry Luna, I’m – I’m not – I don’t --.” Gladio didn’t know how to explain himself, but he certainly felt like he was under attack, and not from someone he expected. 

“Hey! Leave him alone!” Aranea vehemently interjected. “You don’t know what he went through before we picked you up. The poor kid was chained to a floor and Versteals scientists were experimenting with different daemon strains to turn him!”

Luna’ eyes went wide. “I know what they did to him! I healed him remember?!” 

“Don’t.” Aranea warned. “You didn’t see him like we did. It’s not fair to Gladio to brush that experience off.”

“I’m not doing that!” The princess yelled. “I’m only saying he should talk about his feelings, it will help.”

Gladio felt bad seeing the two women get angry over his lack of action. “Please stop fighting,” he tried, “I’m sorry, I’ll try to be --.”

“NO!” Aranea fumed. “You will not apologize. You’ve done nothing wrong.” She added with her finger menacingly pointed at his chest. “Be angry if you want or don’t say a word. That’s your choice and your right.” 

Gladio did agree with Aranea, but he couldn’t help it if he wanted to avoid conflict. Their group was small and clearly there were unspoken tensions still lurking under the surface. Choosing to follow her advice he stayed quiet this time and waited. 

Luna tried once more to defend her actions. “I didn’t mean anything bad.” She offered quietly.

That comment seemed to set Aranea off even more. “What the hell did you mean by it then? Yelling at someone to speak their mind when they’ve clearly told you they aren’t comfortable? You seriously expect me to believe that you didn’t mean anything bad by that?” She was pissed now and had raised herself up on her knees to be higher than Luna. 

“I didn’t yell at him!”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Aranea spit out. “Six! You’re more like your brother than you realize.”

Aranea’s statement hit too close to home as Luna immediately went into the silent treatment mode. Gladio had seen that a million times with his own sister. Swallowing hard he worked to tramp down his emotions at the memory. They were going to Lucis, he had to be patient. 

“Wanna know what I’m sick of -- this bullshit.” Aranea growled. “Let’s head out, we’re wasting time. Loqi quit making Ravus jealous and help Gladio back to the car.”

Gladio whipped his head around to look at the blond so fast his neck cracked. Instead of defiant fury he was met with a smirk. The kid didn’t have long to enjoy his moment. Luna’s hand smacked his face a second later. Hard. Yelling in frustration the princess stood and stormed off in the direction of the car. 

“Um – they won’t leave without us will they?” Gladio worried.

“Fuck them.” Aranea hissed. “I’ll get you home one way or another. Don’t stress about it.”

Groaning softly Gladio tried to stand up on his own. Thankfully Loqi was there to catch him when his knees buckled. “You’re getting stronger. I can tell.” Loqi offered while supporting his body. 

“Not fast enough.” Gladio lamented.

“Like Aranea said, don’t stress it.”

“Easy for you to say.” Gladio grumbled. Loqi snorted in response as they hobbled along. “So you like Ravus?” Gladio asked unable to squash his curiosity.”

“I like a lot of people Gladio.”

“So that whole show you did with Luna?”

“That was no show, she’s cute, I had fun. I’m gonna have a hard time rebounding after what Aranea said, but I have faith in my abilities. Luna will forgive me.”

“Cocky little shit.” Gladio murmured under his breath. He could feel Loqi shake with a burst of laughter. Clearly the kid enjoying being this way, he took pleasure in getting under peoples skin. “Don’t mess with me.” He added with conviction. “I can’t handle it right now.” 

“You’re recovering, that’s cruel. I’d wait until you were better.” 

Gladio knew that if he had Ignis by his side, his boyfriend would easily be able to deflect anything Loqi threw at them. Ignis was good like that. He had a sharp wit and a sharp tongue. “Thanks.” Gladio offered as they approached the car. Which hadn’t left without them, thank the gods.

Loqi simply nodded and worked to situate him comfortably in the car. This time Gladio was sitting behind the passenger seat. Ravus was already installed in the driver’s seat. Luna was sitting next to him and staring out the windshield blankly. Gladio couldn’t tell if she’d come to him for assistance or had merely stalked over and said nothing. He wouldn’t put it past Ravus to disagree with her tactics. Considering her outburst it seemed as though Ravus’ lack of communication was a sore subject. 

Aranea roughly sat down in the middle seat and reached forward to hit Ravus in the shoulder. “Do you need directions?”

The man simply shook his head and waited for Loqi to get the back door closed before he started the car and drove off. A pattern of sorts developed as they continued with their journey. Ravus made it a point to stop every two to three hours for breaks. It was at one of these pit stops that Gladio noticed the sun beginning to dip low in the sky. 

“Are we stopping for the night?” He asked.

“No.” Came Ravus’ clipped response. 

Gladio didn’t think it was worth digging into the subject more. They had to know driving at night was dangerous, right? They must have been aware of something because Aranea made Luna switch seats with her when they got back on the road. 

Luna had made a stink at first but Aranea shut her up just as quick. “If we see daemons I need to get out and fight fast. Gladio and you will be safer in the backseat together.”

Pretending to already be asleep he ignored Luna as she clambered into the back seat. He didn’t want to talk about anything with anyone right now. It didn’t take long and they had to stop. Unable to prevent the nearly suffocating, anxious feeling in his chest Gladio focused on breathing instead. He couldn't help this time and that really bothered Gladio. True to her word Aranea hopped out the car and easily dispatched the thing blocking the road. Loqi paid close attention but stayed put. 

Once Aranea returned Loqi quipped that he had the next one. Gladio soon realized that whatever was blocking their path dictated who got out of the car. He knew it was going to be a hard fight when Aranea, Loqi, _and_ Ravus had to go tackle it. 

During one of these harder battles Luna leaned over to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry Gladio. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad earlier.” 

Relief flooded over him. Gladio didn’t want Luna to be mad and this admission helped calm his nerves. “It’s okay, I’m guessing that you have similar issues with your brother?”

“Yeah,” she sighed, “He holds so much inside and it’s not healthy.”

Deciding that admitting to the truth might not be so scary Gladio took a deep breath. “Honestly Luna, I was worried I was gonna cry if I talked about how I felt earlier.” 

The princess pulled away and leaned up to look directly into his eyes. “Oh – Gladio I’m so sorry, I should’ve been more sensitive.” She paused and then scrunched up her face. “Is that why Aranea was getting snippy with me, she knew didn’t she.” 

“I guess, she seems to understand more than we give her credit for.” Gladio answered solemnly. 

“Loqi’s still a dick.” Luna added with a huff as she resumed her position on his shoulder. 

“He does like you, so be prepared for round two.” 

“Hmmm – maybe.” Luna grumbled. “Are they done yet? I can’t look otherwise I get overwhelmed with worry.” 

Peering out into the dim stream of light provided by the headlamps, Gladio could see the trio walking back. They were a formidable team. However, by the time they’d finished their night drive the three fighters were practically covered in dirt and daemon goo. 

“We have to stop somewhere so I can get cleaned up.” Loqi whined as the sun started coming up. 

“That’s what you get for going all crazy in the last fight dumbass.” Aranea added dryly. 

“So worth it.”

“Neanderthal.” Was Ravus tired reply. Loqi only smiled wider and turned to Gladio to waggle his eyebrows. 

Gladio shook his head and hugged Luna closer. She’d fallen asleep after the last fight and was resting comfortable against his side. Their trip had been nothing like he’d expected and Gladio hoped things would continue to work themselves out. He didn’t like it when they all fought. 

Ravus turned slightly in his seat to stretch and caught sight of his sister in Gladio’s embrace. “I appreciate your efforts to make my sister comfortable Gladio but it’s not necessary,” he sighed.

“I’m already in a relationship, with another dude, there’s nothing to stress over,” Gladio mused softly. 

Unable to see his expression Gladio assumed what he’d said had done the trick when Ravus merely uttered a surprised ‘oh’. Loqi reached over the seat to give him a fist bump and continued to try and pick off dried bits of dirt from his clothes. Wondering why Aranea hadn’t chimed in Gladio tried to check on her. She was fast asleep with her head smashed into the side window. 

Ravus soon pointed to a sign for an outpost nearby and began heading that way. Gladio assumed they’d have to endure one more night of driving after this before they reached the outer limits of Lucis. They were inching closer to home and Gladio could hardly wait. 


	4. Motives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ravus changes his mind about certain things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh angst how I enjoy writing you.... yeah so enjoy. :)

The sound of a door slamming shut snapped Gladio awake. Struggling to open his eyes revealed a dimly lit room. Had they stopped at a hotel after all? Aranea mentioned them driving straight through to Lucis but he wasn’t in the car anymore. Sighing heavily, Gladio gathered what strength he had and attempted to roll on his side. 

Something rough and solid held him back. A terrifying, and memorable sensation of biting metal on his skin caused him to panic. The chain around his neck was back as well as the ones around his ankles and wrists. Unable to process anything past the fear and anger currently gripping his mind, Gladio yelled out at the top of lungs. 

Maybe someone would hear him screaming and come help. That idea was crazy though, this stranger would have to fight off three trained warriors to get to him. Luna had to be around, Ravus wouldn’t abandon his sister. Calling out for her instead, Gladio hoped that maybe she would be able to set him free. He couldn’t handle this again, he just couldn’t!

“Gladio! Can you hear me?!” 

Flinching at the sudden loud voice, much too close to his ear, Gladio sucked in a breath to yell once more. Words were failing him at the moment, he simply kept yelling. 

“Gladio! It’s Luna, please calm down.” The voice tried again. 

Warmth blossomed around his neck, replacing the feeling of the rough metal collar that had been there.

“You’re safe! You’re safe, believe me.” Luna cooed in his ear over and over again. 

Gladio’s brain finally clicked into the present, and he could do nothing to prevent the eos shaking sob he let loose. Astrals he’d been dreaming! Forcing his nearly numb arms to move he reached out and hugged the closest body.

“You were dreaming, open your eyes, you’re safe,” proclaimed Luna.

He was still crying too hard to follow that simple request so he nodded instead. Time rolled in and around him, like waves in a storm, as he tried to process reality from dream. The second he could breathe normally he blurted out an apology. “So –rry, I’m sorry, I don’t – don’t.” Gasping in more air he tried again to convey his feelings. 

“Shhh, relax. You had a bad dream. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Lifting his head up Gladio was even more embarrassed. They were all looking at him. He’d been correct in remembering what Aranea had said. The backseat of the car was there in all of its cramped glory, complete with Loqi staring dumbly. The kid looked a little terrified actually. Glancing around the cabin revealed the same look for the other occupants. 

Ravus looked pale, which was a hard thing to accomplish since his complexion was already fair. “May I ask what triggered this outburst of fear?”

Licking his lips to gain time Gladio opened his mouth to speak. “I – I thought you all had chained me up again.”

No one said anything after that. Ravus frowned and returned to looking out the front windshield as he put the car in gear and drove back out onto the road. Apparently his fit had forced them to pull off to the side. Groaning softly, Gladio lowered his head in shame, promptly smacking Luna in the forehead. This shouldn’t have been surprising; she was practically sitting in his lap. Instantly worried he’d hurt her Gladio reached out to touch her head. Another apology was ready to tumble out of his lips while he waited for her to stop hissing in pain.

A little laugh caught him completely off guard as she rubbed the spot tenderly. “Ow, Gladio watch it. You’ve got a big head.”

“Its normal sized.” He quipped back without hesitation. 

“Well maybe, but it’s dense.”

Furrowing his brow at the comment Gladio didn’t exactly know how to respond. Luna had insulted him but he couldn’t tell if she realized it yet. 

“Luna?” Aranea requested softly. “Uh – why are you calling Gladio stupid?”

“Oh heavens, no that’s not wha --.” The oracle paused for a moment mid-sentence, and appeared to be thinking through several things internally. ‘Oh! Gladio I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant by that!” Luna squealed in distress at the very notion she’d said something mean, and hugged him tightly. 

Accepting the hug Gladio decided hiding his face in Luna’s shoulder would be a good choice of action for the remainder of the trip. “Can I stay like this until we get there?” He mumbled. 

“Awww it’s alright,” Luna enthused. “Don’t be like my brother and suffer without saying anything.” 

A small irritated huff from the front seat graced his ears. Ravus wasn’t happy about being called out. Though Gladio wasn’t entirely sure what Luna meant by suffering that could mean any number of things. Ravus had clearly endured his fair share of trauma along with Luna. Strictly based on observation the oracle handled her emotions differently than Ravus. She was willing to communicate with Noct, despite his association with that unfortunate day in history. 

Gladio had talked with his dad about what had happened. The Empire had attacked and forced a hasty retreat for Noct and the king. Luna had decided to stay behind with Ravus. Based off what Noct would tell him, Luna didn’t harbor any ill feelings towards Lucis for the way the fight played out. However, Ravus had remained bitter and felt abandoned by the people he’d trusted. This small detail traipsed unhappily around the fringes of Gladio’s mind. Could he really trust Ravus? 

The car jostled roughly, the main road veering away when Gladio looked out the window. What was happening? 

“Hey?! What are you doing?” Aranea exclaimed.

Ravus didn’t answer; he merely kept driving until a decrepit building appeared on the horizon. Without warning the car screeched to a halt and Ravus ripped the door open. He was gone and storming off towards the building. 

“Hey!!” Aranea screamed after him as she made chase. “What the hell are you doing?”

Luna was in the process of disentangling herself from Gladio, and nearly fell out onto the ground when she opened the door. Gladio barely had enough strength to keep her from face planting. Catching her balance after a second, Luna was running towards her brother. 

“We might be here for a while. Do you need to stretch?” Loqi asked with a frown.

Not fully recovered from his earlier episode Gladio didn’t know how to respond. He did want to get out of the car, but that also meant he would be more likely to hear the ensuing argument. “I’m okay with leaning up against the car.”

“Need help?” Loqi checked even though his attention was locked on Ravus shouting at Aranea and Luna. 

“Only if I fall.” Loqi grunted and nodded, but didn’t turn to watch as Gladio attempted the action. He did fall, but luckily Gladio was able to catch himself on the roof of the car. His arms were getting stronger, that was good, but his legs were still jelly. Locking his knees after a few seconds He felt comfortable enough to lean away and take a deep breath. His view over the car was directly in line with Ravus arguing. Not exactly the most calming of scenes, Gladio tried to cast his vision elsewhere. It helped a little, but the noise of raised voices still carried over. Gladio found that he was straining to hear the conversation, even though he was trying to ignore it. Something about human nature compelled him to be a part of this dramatic episode. Only certain words reached his ears: ‘done’, ‘pretending’, ‘hate’. 

That was worrisome, was Ravus attempting to convince them they needed to stop the journey? Gladio had no idea where they were and no way to reach his family and friends if they all decided to ditch him. Someone shouting his name forced him to look over once more. Aranea was stomping her way over and looked pissed. 

“You need to talk to him!” She huffed.

“What? Why me?”

“You’re a man, he won’t listen to us.”

“Why not send Loqi?” Gladio tried, not entirely comfortable with the idea of having a heart to heart with Ravus. 

“No!” Loqi shouted out from the backseat before Aranea could respond. “I’m not going anywhere near him right now, he’s acting like a dick.”

“That’s why!” Aranea replied as she came to a stop next to him, hands on her hips, looking determined. 

She didn’t give him a choice in the matter, and reached out to pull him away from the car. The stable chunk of metal that held him up, and kept the ruthless grip of gravity at bay was out of arms reach a second later. “Careful! I’m still not well enough to walk yet.”

“Pffttt, I won’t let you fall. I’m a strong girl.”

True to her word Aranea kept him upright and managed to drag him over to the building. According to her Ravus was hiding inside somewhere. Luna was guarding the door with a scowl that would have made a grown man wither. 

“I don’t think he snuck out, but if he did then I hope one of you knows how to jump start a car.” The oracle fumed.

“I can.” Gladio offered quickly. 

“Good to know they train you well in Lucis,” quipped Aranea. “Have at it big guy,” she added once they reached the door.

Unable to prevent what happened next, Aranea kicked the front door open and scooted out from under his arm. Gladio was left clutching an errant empty cargo box to keep from toppling over. She had rushed back out and slammed the door before he could utter a single syllable in protest. That very moment his brain decided to accost him with the worst possible idea. They were leaving him here. Ravus had already snuck out and was back at the car. 

Too scared to try the door he simply sunk down on the floor and decided to drown in his sorrows instead. It would probably make it easier on Luna if he didn’t shout and yell like a baby. Swallowing hard he worked to control his breathing, he had to stay calm so he could come up with a plan. Maybe there was some food in this place, that way he could rest and try and recover more strength before he set out to find a telephone. 

Ravus’ voice startled him out his thoughts before he could dwell on his situation further. “Did they think I needed company?”

“You’re still here?!” Gladio gasped.

“Of course, where else would I have gone the movies?”

Gladio was shocked; they hadn’t abandoned him, yet. “Uh – I thought you all had left me or something.”

“Is that was Aranea said?” Ravus replied with confusion as he stepped out from the shadows. 

“No, I – well – I assumed you’d set up a diversion so they could get me out of the car.” Gladio added sheepishly. This theory of his was sounding more and more ridiculous. 

“Why on eos would we do that, we’re trying to take you home, not leave you half way.”

Humming in response Gladio simply shrugged and hung his head. He hated not feeling strong. This entire experience had been one embarrassing moment after another. What would his father think of his actions? Groaning Gladio balled his fists up and worked mightily not to scream out loud. 

“Aranea has wasted your energy bringing you in here.” Ravus admitted, “I wish she’d been more thoughtful.”

“She didn’t tell me what to say, only that you wouldn’t listen to them.”

Ravus shook his head and trudged over; unceremoniously sliding down on the floor next to Gladio he stretched his legs out. “I’m not going to Lucis, I’m leaving on my own after the next outpost.”

The information was wholly unexpected and caused Gladio to rip his head up and stare at Ravus. “You’re doing what? WHY?” He breathed out in utter shock.

“Come now, you know the history of my family. Luna’s been throwing jabs at me ever since we left regarding my emotional state. Think, why would I not want to go?” He enthused with wide eyes. 

Gladio knew the answer already; he’d heard his dad lament the loss of such a good soul to the empire. Ravus shouldn’t have been forced to work for the people that murdered his mother that was cruel. The empire it seemed knew no bounds when it came to unethical practices. “You hate us,” Gladio spit out dryly, “and by us I mean the king.”

“We needed help and _your_ king left us to rot.”

“What would you have had him do?” Gladio asked perplexed. He’d been told of an awful battle that made even a retreat nearly impossible. “Stay and be captured by the empire?” 

“NO! Of course not, but he didn’t even send reinforcements. Once he left, the battle was over to him. You all retreated behind the wall and never gave us a second thought.”

“What if we couldn’t send help because we didn’t have it to send?” Gladio defended. 

“What would you know about it? How old are you?” Ravus demanded.

“Twenty-two.”

“Oh -- so a hearty eleven year old knew more about this unfortunate series of events than me? I doubt that.” 

“My dad was there too! We talk about things.”

“Must be nice to have family around to commiserate with,” Ravus hissed with curled lips.

“I know about losing parents too, my mom died when I was young!” Gladio shot back. 

Grunting Ravus turned away and took a breath. “It’s not the same,” he finally offered. 

Gathering his thoughts Gladio was racking his brain for what to say. “No, it’s not, but I didn’t have anyone to blame for my mom’s death. I had no one to get angry with, I had to deal with my grief and heal.”

“That’s a low blow,” Ravus growled.

“Low or not, it’s the truth.”

A suffocating silence fell over them both after that. Gladio wasn’t sure what Ravus was hoping to gain. Based off his comments it didn’t seem like he was after closure. His anger towards Lucis had fueled him for too long and it had changed him. 

“So I guess that means you’ll just continue to hate us all huh?” Gladio sighed. “I don’t know what I can say to help, this is your battle to wage, not mine.”

Ravus slowly turned to face him with narrowed eyes. “You don’t think I’m crazy for acting like this?”

Shaking his head no Gladio stayed silent. What could he do? Ravus was angry and Gladio wasn’t sure what would make him bestow forgiveness upon those he hated.

“How would you act if our roles were reversed?” Ravus asked suddenly. 

That was a hard question. Gladio wanted to blurt out that he would have moved on, but he suspected that it wouldn’t be the truth. “I dunno, based off how I’m handling this current situation I might have suffered a mental breakdown and gone insane.”

Ravus snorted and shook his head. “You’re doing well, if it’s any consolation. Only one nightmare and you haven’t gotten violent.” 

“It helps that I don’t remember much,” Gladio admitted. “They had me drugged most of the time.” 

“Ah – to be numb to the sensations of life, if only I’d had that choice. Don’t get me wrong I didn’t want you to suffer; I don’t like the idea of torture. I’m thankful you are getting better.” Ravus added quickly. “My situation was very different. I had to do what I could to ensure my sister’s safety.”

That revelation hit Gladio like a punch to the gut. Poor Ravus had to endure all this while trying to take care of his sister. “I wouldn’t have gone insane!” Gladio corrected in a rush, “I’d have done the same thing as you! I’d have to take care of my sister; I didn’t consider that part when you asked me earlier.” 

Again silence fell around them. Gladio closed his eyes to focus better, he had to try and think of something else to say. He owed it to Luna to try harder. She deserved to have her brother by her side. “Is there anything that would make you reconsider coming along?” He questioned in desperation.

“No.”

“What if Luna gets married to Noct, will you shun her too after that?”

Ravus opened his mouth to answer but paused. Clearly that question had caught him off guard. “That’s another low blow Gladio.”

“It’s a possibility, so you have to consider it.”

“I wouldn’t shun my sister, but it would make it that much harder, given how I feel about Noct and the king.”

“Noct was eight, he didn’t do anything, don’t drag him into this mess.” Gladio announced with conviction. 

“He is his father’s son.” Ravus threw back. 

“Oh no you don’t!” Gladio yelled. “You do realize what that means right?” Pausing to stare at the older man Gladio waited for Ravus to reply. He didn’t. “Your mother would be pissed at you for even thinking like that!” 

“What are you getting on about?”

“If you blame Noct for his father’s actions then conversely, that means you are subject to the same thing!” 

“No, it’s not the same!”

“Bullshit it’s so the same thing, you can’t say something like that and not fall under the same rule.”

“You will not drag my mother’s name into the mud.” Ravus howled. “She wanted peace!”

“I’m not the one who sided with her true killers.” Gladio didn’t have time to brace himself when Ravus lunged at him. Shielding his face Gladio prepared for an onslaught of punches and kicks. They never came. Ravus was simply holding his shirt collar and had his right arm cocked back to deliver a blow.

“I had to do what I did to protect my sister.” He defended. 

“I understand that Ravus!” Gladio sputtered. “You did what was right at the time, but now you have a choice how you help her moving forward.”

“I can’t forgive at the drop of a hat.”

“No one is asking you to! Take your time; just don’t abandon your sister while you sulk about it!”

Ravus released his grip on his shirt but not before shoving him away roughly. Yelping at his inability to stay upright Gladio toppled sideways to the floor. Hands were on him a second later pulling him up. 

“Sorry that was uncalled for; you’re merely trying to act as a therapist when you have no fucking degree in such a thing.”

“Blame Aranea she threw me in here to talk to you!” 

“I have not shamed my mother, she would be proud of how I watched over Luna.”

Swallowing hard Gladio debating about how to respond. “Does that mean you’ll make sure she makes it safely to Lucis?” 

Ravus nodded curtly and exhaled a deep breath. 

“Um – If you’re interested in a real therapist I’m sure Ignis is gonna make me see one when we get back. I could always put in a good word for you.”

“Despite my earlier outburst, you didn’t do so bad as a stand in one. Though I would ask one favor.” Ravus paused as he waited for Gladio’s full attention. “I will not talk to my sister about certain things, it’s part of my coping mechanism. Help her understand, she’s always trying to get me to open up and I can’t, not with her.” 

“Does it hit to close to home?” Gladio asked.

“I’m afraid it does, she’s so much like mother and she doesn’t even realize it. Six, it’s painful at times.” He sighed. 

“So you’re still coming right?” Gladio checked.

“Yes, I suppose I owe it to Luna to see this through.” 

A thought struck Gladio and he couldn’t help but ask. “Where you planning on escaping with me, and then leaving before arriving in Lucis to go back for your sister?”

“You turning sooner than we’d anticipated changed our plans.” 

“I don’t think anyone else but your sister could have saved me.” Gladio offered quietly. “I owe you both.” 

Ravus ignored the comment and begged his help again in keeping his sister at bay. “Don’t forget to talk to Luna. She won’t believe anything I say.” 

“Done,” Gladio promised, “So um – if you need to talk more, I’m here in all of my unprofessional capacity.”

“It’s not going to happen overnight, I need time.” 

“I know.” Gladio acknowledged. 

“Let’s get back, I’m sure Loqi is trying to hit on Luna as we speak, and honestly I think the idea of Noct marrying my sister is far better than that pipsqueak.”

“You need to help me, I’m still a mess.”

“We all are Gladio, don’t single yourself out in that regard.” Ravus sighed as he hefted Gladio up off the floor. “Shall we continue on?”

Nodding Gladio leaned on Ravus and they both made their way back to the car. Hopefully Gladio could field any questions they got so Ravus would be able to think on what they discussed.


	5. Discovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions rise as the group decides how to approach their visit to Lucis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writers block kicked my butt on this chapter until the very end so sorry for the delay. I'm back on track now. :) I hope you enjoy the drama!!

After five hours in the car Gladio was about to go crazy. He needed a break, everyone had been taking power naps, but sleeping in a cramped car was not comfortable. Ravus had not relinquished his driving seat since the episode at the abandoned farm house. Content to stare ahead and ignore all of them, Ravus drove on. Spacing out as the trees flew by, Gladio didn’t do much, until a small green sign caught his attention in the distance. When they got close enough to read it he was barely able to contain his excitement. It said one thing, Insomnia 60 MI. 

“Okay time to switch.” Aranea announced. 

“I will be driving through to the city.” Ravus replied sternly. 

“Do you want to draw attention on purpose?” She sighed. “Switch with Loqi.”

“Why would me driving draw attention?”

Groaning loudly Aranea leaned over the console and stared at Ravus, even though he didn’t look back. “You have snow white hair, and you aren’t old. You scowl at everything, and your eyes are freaky when you look directly into them.”

“There is nothing wrong with my eyes!” Ravus shot back.

“Sure,” Aranea drawled out, “care to explain why one of them seems to be a different color than the other?” 

“I was born like that,” he huffed. 

“Well, that’s great, but you shouldn’t be the first person someone has to talk to if we get pulled over.”

“Why exactly is Loqi better?”

“He’s blond and not whatever white witch color you’ve got going. He also knows how to smile.” She finished leaning back into her seat. 

When Ravus pulled off to the side Gladio was shocked. Luna remained silent during the exchange; it seemed she was still pissed at her brother for his behavior earlier. Taking the opportunity to stretch Gladio carefully got out of the car. Everyone else had the same idea and lolled about, not talking. They could wander off unlike Gladio, who still needed something to lean on otherwise he’d fall over. 

Boots scraping across the dirt drew his attention as Gladio pondered the idea of driving the car himself. He could operate one in his current condition, though he was a little worried he might fall asleep staring at the dashed lines on the road whizzing by. Deciding that was a bad idea he turned to who had approached.

“I’m not sure whether to be grateful or upset,” Ravus sighed, “no one is talking to me.”

“I’ll still talk to you.” Gladio offered with a small shrug. 

Ravus hummed and took a deep breath. “When do you think you’ll have a moment to discuss our conversation with Luna?”

Gladio faltered, he wanted to talk with Luna, only without the others listening. “I was sorta wanting to talk to her in private.” 

“I can understand that. Anything to keep Aranea and Loqi from offering their two cents would be most beneficial.”

“Are you alright with Loqi driving? You’re not gonna make a stink are you?” Gladio asked with worry. 

Curling his lips Ravus looked put out. “Aranea makes a valid argument as to why I shouldn’t be behind the wheel. I’m still sitting up front though, just in case.” He added with an air of authority.

Gladio was about to add more when Luna and Aranea walked over. Luna hopped into the backseat and waited in the middle patiently. “Guess that’s my cue to become one with the side of the door again.” Gladio weakly announced. True to Ravus’ word, he did indeed sit in the front passenger seat. Aranea had tried to make an argument about why it should be her, but one deathly glare from Ravus and she gave up. She was obviously tired and didn’t want to deal with his antics. 

Loqi drove well and kept quiet as they inched closer to insomnia. Luna had fallen asleep on Gladio’s shoulder and seemed peaceful enough. When the wall appeared ahead of them in the distance Loqi finally broke his silence.

“How are we going to get through this? I mean do we need papers, are we on vacation?”

“We’re going to a friend’s wedding.” Ravus offered succinctly.

“Who’s?!” Loqi blurted.

“It’s the best explanation for our odd parings. Brother and sister, an aunt, a bratty nephew, and a 3rd cousin simply traveling together.”

“Who’s the bratty nephew?” Aranea asked with curiosity. 

“Loqi of course,” announced Ravus with little preamble. “Gladio is the only dark haired person among us, so he can’t be directly from the family.”

Gladio had his mouth open to join in, but decided against it. Things were already strange enough. For once no one disagreed, and when Loqi slowed down to talk with the guard he spun a perfectly believable story. It looked like it was working until the man turned and went back into the guard hut. The imposing gate in front of them remained closed.

“What’s going on?” Loqi asked.

“I dunno if they’ll let us in without ID’s.” Gladio lamented. 

“If you say who you are then the chances of us getting sold out by the traitor become that much greater,” huffed Aranea. 

“It might be a chance we have to take; otherwise we’ll be stuck out here.” 

“How long is the drive to the citadel from the gate?” Loqi pondered. 

“Nearly thirty minutes, if there’s no traffic.” 

“Shit, the dude’s coming back, everybody shut up!” Loqi ordered.

They all listened as the guard explained that proper ID was required to enter the city, plus verification from the person they were visiting. Thinking fast Gladio leaned forward to try and see the man through the window. “I’m sorry we messed up the process sir,” he began humbly, “is there any chance we can call our uncle and have you speak with him?”

The guard frowned and was clearly debating the idea. “I still need to see ID from you all,” he announced. “Call your uncle and let me speak with him while you gather your documents.” 

Before Gladio could reply a phone was thrust in his hand. Aranea stared at him with worry and Ravus, who’s phone he was currently holding, merely looked bored. Licking his lips he held it out briefly for Ravus to unlock so he could dial. Praying that someone would answer Gladio let the phone ring longer than normal. Right as he was about to give up the line connected. 

“Hello?” Came the pleasant response.

Hoping he could convey enough details in a short period of time Gladio launched into his speech. “Hey Uncle Jared! It’s your nephew Gladio.” He could hear the sudden gasp on the other end and pushed forward ignoring it. “We’re all stuck at the wall trying to get in for the wedding! Do you think you could talk to the guard and explain the situation? I mean I would hate to miss the opportunity to surprise Iris on her big day, just cause we couldn’t make it to the venue!”

Gladio waited with baited breath, hoping that Jared wouldn’t launch into a million and one questions. Thankfully the man simply uttered a weak affirmation and went silent. Leaning forward once again Gladio handed the phone off to the guard. They all watched as he ambled off a few feet away to talk. 

“Do you all have ID?” Gladio asked quickly. 

“Yeah I had Loqi make us all fake ones right before we left.” 

“Luna too?” Gladio queried as he watched Aranea go wide eyed for a moment and shake her head. 

“I’ve got one for my sister.” Ravus interjected. 

“Why the h--.” 

“We can’t waste time with that right now,” Gladio hastily replied, “I don’t have an ID!”

“You don’t carry one around with you in your wallet?” Aranea frowned, “That’s weird.”

“I don’t have my wallet!” Gladio all but shouted as he warily watched the guard, who was still talking to Jared. 

Aranea went to response but suddenly looked rather guilty. “Yeah, sorry about that, you do have your wallet. It’s been in the trunk the whole time.” Gladio didn’t have time to respond as Aranea quickly launched into another round of discussion. “We also made you a fake ID as well; there is no point in using your real one now. That guard will call it in immediately.”

The flurry of activity that came next left Gladio in shock. He had no idea what Jared had told the man as the phone had been handed back, already disconnected. Their ID’s were reviewed and the contents of the trunk were checked. After five minutes the heavy metal gate was opened and they were waved through. 

“Should I call him back?”

“His phone was probably tapped.” Loqi supplied. “I wouldn’t”

“Who was that anyway?” Luna piped in with curiosity.

“Jared, our housekeeper. What if he calls back, should I answer?”

“No!” Loqi interjected quickly. “Though, why did you call him of all people?” 

“I can’t call my dad or anyone else at the citadel they’d be overheard talking. I thought maybe Jared might have a little more privacy at the house. I’m also hoping he only tells my dad I called. That might help us when we arrive.” 

As they continued on, the wooded area near the wall gradually faded out to reveal the city. The people and traffic increased as they neared the city center. Unable to keep quiet for any longer Gladio blurted what was on his mind. “How did we get through with all your weapons?”

This time it was Luna who spoke up. “They retrofitted the car before we left, to hide them in the undercarriage. You were sleeping so you didn’t notice.” 

“We may need to retrieve them before we reach the citadel,” Ravus announced. “That phone call had to have alerted someone to our presence in the city, even if this Jared only alerted your father.”

“It’ll be damn near impossible to get into the citadel if we show up visibly armed!” Gladio huffed as he leaned back into the seat. “Shouldn’t we come up with a plan to get inside first?”

Aranea spoke up before the others could respond. “We risk the traitor moving first so we have to act now and see how far we get.”

“This is stupid, I’ll get taken away to the doctor’s and you’ll all get locked up, except Luna,” sighed Gladio in frustration. “I thought you all had this worked out?” He fumed. 

“We do have it worked out!” Ravus shouted. “We knew it would be trouble trying to gain entry so the best choice was to show up unexpected.” 

“Unexpected is one thing,” Gladio snarled, “uncoordinated is quite another.” 

“Can we stop fighting?” Luna begged. “Gladio please, they’ve been trying to work things out, trust me. You’ve been passed out for most, if not all of the conversations.”

“Didn’t you all think that it might be helpful to get an insider opinion? Nobody believed I have anything of value to add?”

“There wasn’t time!” Ravus enthused as he briefly turned to face him. “Gladio, time is not on our side, you must know this. The traitor has to know what we are up to and now their suspicions have been confirmed.”

“You don’t know that! Jared’s phone might not have been tapped.”

“Come on big guy, you know that isn’t how it works. Think ahead.” Loqi quipped. 

“So we seriously have no other choice but to go driving up to the gate?”

“The traitor will act, no matter what we do.” Ravus added solemnly. “It’s best we make an appearance and work to shed light on the truth of the matter.”

“If we’re going into a trap I still don’t see why I can’t call my dad.”

“What if the traitor acts and makes an attempt on the king all because we called ahead.”

“You didn’t care about Regis yesterday I don’t see why you’re so concerned now.” Gladio grumbled. 

Ravus growled in response and hit the side of the door with his fist. “Pull over! We’re dropping Gladio off. Then you can call whomever you like.”

“No!” Luna shouted. “That’s not fair! If you leave him I’m staying with Gladio.”

“Like hell you are!” Ravus yelled. “I didn’t risk everything just to leave you behind on the six damned street!” 

The car fell into silence after Ravus’ outburst. Loqi even seemed startled by the turn of events, and simply drove on with his hands white knuckled on the steering wheel. Gladio was paying attention to the route and was surprised when Loqi kept making all the correct turns to get them to the citadel. Maybe they had planned something while he’d been recovering. 

Now, all he wanted to do was get away from them all and see his family. The tension had reached an all-time high and Gladio didn’t know what would happen when they reached the main gate. 

“I want my pole arm.” Aranea firmly announced once the towers of citadel came into view. 

“How are you going to hide it inside the vehicle?” Gladio asked with worry. 

“It breaks down, I’ll leave it on the floor boards until I need it.”

That didn’t sound very promising. Aranea was already planning on fighting. Gladio couldn’t do anything to stop her; he still had no strength and was too weak to access the armiger. Choosing to stay silent he sank further into the seat and started to fret. 

No one else offered any comments or arguments so Loqi pulled over into a nearly empty parking lot after a minute. He put the car in park and waited as Aranea removed their weapons from underneath. Ravus got out and retrieved his sword. It fit neatly in between the seat and center console. Aranea true to her word dismantled her weapon and placed it on the floor boards. Once everyone was back inside and the doors were all slammed shut Loqi drove off again. Gladio could feel his heart hammering as they approached the citadel. What had seemed like an impossible dream was becoming reality. However, the outcome wasn’t guaranteed and he was getting scared that something truly horrible might happen. 

The looming shadow of the building soon engulfed the car as they got closer. Loqi somehow knew to avoid the main gate and instead went to the service entrance. Luna had been correct, they’d been planning ahead. Gladio didn’t realize he was shaking until the car turned down the access road. Soon there would be no turning back. 

Loqi already had the window rolled down when he drove up. Leaning down to catch a glimpse of the guard revealed Gladio didn’t know him. That was either going to be a blessing or a curse. Before Gladio could register what was happening Loqi had begun talking to the man. 

“We demand an audience with the king. We are seeking asylum from Niflheim. Please inform his majesty that we are traveling with the prince’s shield Gladiolus Amicitia.” Loqi moved slightly and indicated behind him in the back seat.

The guard leaned down and blinked slowly. “ID’s please.” He croaked out after a second. 

Gladio could tell from Ravus’ shocked expression that they weren’t expecting that response. Loqi cleared his throat and clumsily went to grab the stack of documents they’d already compiled from the check point at the wall. The guard took them and disappeared into this little hut. 

“There is no way in hell they are gonna just open the gate for us.” Loqi breathed out tersely.

“What if they do? Then what?” Gladio asked. He knew there was a second gate to get through after this one. The security system in place included a moat of sorts around the perimeter. Two tall fences with barbed wire atop running alongside each other. The middle section had a single lane access road. This was their first obstacle. 

Aranea answered after a beat, “you tell them we rescued you and not to kill us.”

“I don’t know if tha --.”

“Shut up he’s coming back!” Ravus hissed. 

The guard came up and handed the documents back. “You’ve been cleared to go through, please wait at the second gate for an escort.” The man said nothing further and simply walked away as the heavy metal door in front of them suddenly began ratcheting open.

“Do I go in?” Loqi asked quietly. “Once this gate closes behind us escape becomes exponentially harder.” 

“We can’t very well drive away now Loqi,” Ravus grumbled. “The next gate is right there anyway, let’s go see if they will let us in.”

“Fine.” Loqi replied with a frown. The car slowly crawled forward and jostled as it went over the speed bump at the gate. “Shit, they have the traffic spikes installed under here. I can’t go back even if I tried, the tires would pop.” 

“Just drive forward and stop panicking.” Aranea ordered.

“I’m not panicking!” Loqi hissed. “I’m merely working to plan our escape should it be needed. They’ve even got concrete barriers up on either side.”

“Not everywhere,” Luna offered as she pointed to a missing section on their right.” 

“Something’s wrong,” announced Ravus. “Where are the other guards, I don’t see any other people at this next gate.” 

“They said there would be an escort though,” Luna commented with concern. “Why would he lie?” 

“If it was a trap.” Aranea groaned. 

Loqi suddenly became very animated. “No, no, no it can’t be!” He uttered in shock. “That can’t be true. There is no way that asshole is him.”

“What are you going on about?” Ravus insisted as he leaned over to stare out the window at what Loqi was looking at. 

“Gladio! How far does this no man’s land between the gates stretch?!” Loqi asked hurriedly.

“Up to the main gate about 800 yards away, why?” Gladio didn’t get an answer as Loqi violently threw the car into reverse. They were all thrown forward as he gunned the engine. “What are you doing?!” Gladio shouted.

“I saw him!” Loqi screamed. “The other fucking bad guy, I fucking saw him!” He was frantic as he maneuvered the car away from the gate house. 

“We can’t go back! The spikes will wreck the tires.” Aranea yelled.

“I’m not going straight back!” Loqi spit out as he turned sharply to fit in between gap in the barriers Luna had noticed earlier. 

Gladio was about to tell him he was crazy when movement behind the guard tower caught his attention. The hulking figure of the captain of the guard soon came into view. “That’s captain Drautos he’s a good guy!” tried Gladio as he held onto the seat. 

“He’s a captain?!” Loqi wailed, “Dear six no wonder you all didn’t notice.” 

“He’s not a bad guy!” Gladio yelled again. 

“That’s Glauca! He’s the ultimate bad guy!” 

“Guys they have a car and are chasing us!” Aranea exclaimed with wide eyes while pointing out the window. 

Loqi hadn’t noticed since he was facing the wrong way to drive. He turned and yelled loudly. The car jerked as he worked to maintain control. Spinning around once more he began driving faster. “We need to get the hell outta here, he’s gonna murder us all.” 

“How do you know it’s him?!” Ravus asked as he worked his sword out from in between the seat. 

“I know I saw him once talking to the emperor!” Loqi breathed out in a rush. “It was an accident, he had his helmet off, and it didn’t click until I saw him now. But that’s not important right now guys! Help me get outta here!” 

Gladio was thinking fast, it’d been a long time since he’d been out on this side of the citadel. The next gate Loqi was speedily approaching would have the same traffic spikes. Maybe if they got into the main grounds they could get to the king before Drautos got to them. He was about to offer up the idea when a blue flash off to the side caught his attention.

It was actually two blue flashes, one slightly behind the other. Gladio recognized the first blue blur as the slightly hunched form of his friend. The crown prince of Lucis was currently warping like a madman towards their car. 

“Aranea open your door!” Gladio demanded.

“Wha?”

“Just do it!!” He yelled. 

Thankfully she wrenched the door open just in time. The prince had managed to clear the fence and was now next to the car. Gladio could see him struggling to keep up. Consecutive warps were exhausting and he was surprised Noct was still able to stay with them. Leaning back out of the way proved the right choice as a sword came whizzing by his head as second later. 

The overwhelming surge of emotion that hit Gladio next was surreal. There, trembling in his arms and sprawled across the seat was Noct, in the flesh and blood. Without a second thought he hugged him fiercely. The prince wasn’t able to communicate clearly but he at least was able to hug back. 

“Th--thought you were dead!” Noct managed to gasp in between breaths as he rested limply in Gladio’s arms. 

“I’m okay.” He choked out. The heartfelt moment was immediately shattered when Ravus shouted a frantic warning. Gladio barely had time to react when the car swerved violently and slammed into something. Holding onto Noct with one arm, he reached out and hugged Luna close with the other. Gladio was disoriented and could only do what he knew best.

Shield. 


	6. We Come In Peace Dammit!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang has some trouble waiving the proverbial white flag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again this chapter kicked my butt. I still love this fic and the fluff is coming soon so bear with me! :) I hope you all enjoy!!

The adrenaline racing through his system barely masked the dull ache starting to develop at the back of Gladio’s head. Even though he’d hugged Noct and Luna close to him the impact had sent his head crashing backwards in the headrest. It would be sore later, but now wasn’t the time to think about that, there was a giant shield in the seat with them. Staring hard he finally believed the glaring evidence, it was his shield! 

Thank the six he could summon things from the armiger again. 

In the panic of the accident he must have summoned it without realizing. Looking around he saw that Aranea had one foot out of the door and was assembling her polearm. Noct was still cradled in his arms and looked a touch comatose. Luna had ducked down and was pressed into his side. “Are you both okay?” Gladio rasped. 

Luna nodded and Noct followed suit. He was about to check on Ravus and Loqi when the car shook. Something heavy had landed on the roof. A pair of boots came into view, followed by a person wearing a glaive uniform. The figure slid down the windshield and immediately created a magic barrier around the car. 

Gladio had seen another blue flash behind Noct which meant one of the select glaives who used magic had been chasing him. Squinting to see out of the cracked windshield revealed a purple scarf on one of the sleeves. His eyes lit up, it was Nyx Ulric, the hero. Gladio knew he could trust Nyx.

Aranea by now had assembled her weapon and had exited the car. Gladio knew that Nyx wouldn’t be able to fight her since he was still holding up the magic barrier. “Aranea! Wait!! He’s one of the good guys!” Gladio shouted frantically. He watched in horror as she swung around and took an attack stance. “Please don’t fight him!” He tried again. 

Her weapon lowered slightly as she edged closer to the front of the car. Gladio couldn’t hear the exchange between them but whatever transpired made her stand down. Instead Aranea backed up and stood near the open door. She was still ready to defend if necessary. 

Loqi’s strangled voice cried out a second later. “I’m – I’m bleeding.” He gasped. 

Gladio looked over his shield to get a better view. The side of the seat was darker than the normal, most likely stained with blood. Ravus, who was about to jump out stalled, and swiveled back around. “He’s been shot!” He exclaimed.

Using his free hand Gladio focused on summoning a potion. 

Nothing appeared. 

Apparently it took protecting Noct from a possible near death situation to summon his shield earlier. “Noct! I need you to summon a potion!” Gladio urged as he shook the prince slightly. 

Noct simply groaned and turned his head towards Gladio. “M’tired,” he mumbled. 

Shit, Noct had used too much magic when he’d warped earlier. It was a wonder that Nyx could still function since he’d done the same amount. “Come on buddy, can you try? Someone needs our help, please.”

Luna shifted in his hold and reached out to try and touch Loqi. “let me try, don’t forget I healed you.” She announced with conviction. 

He’d completely forgotten about the powers Luna had as well. He worked to move the shield so Luna could gain access. Loqi hissed when she touched his shoulder. A moment later he cried out in pain and gripped Ravus’ arm forcefully. 

“I had to use magic to remove the bullet Loqi, I’m sorry it hurt more than normal!” Luna worried. “Are you still in pain?”

“No – but I – I don’t think I’ll be fighting today.” He choked out. 

“Oh!” Luna shouted, “I wonder if I can assist that solider, he’s probably exhausted just like Noctis.” 

Gladio couldn’t even answer before Luna had scrambled out from underneath his arm, and was stumbling out of the car. Aranea had to catch her as she ran to help Nyx. Distracted, watching Luna nearly accost Nyx as she used her powers to lend aid, Gladio missed Ravus’ shocked face. 

“They were aiming for her --,” he muttered.

“Huh? Wha –.” Gladio didn’t get any more information because Ravus was practically throwing himself out of the car. He heard Nyx yell in surprise, but thankfully Ravus ignored the glaive and attacked his sister in a bear hug.

Loqi watched the whole scene unfold and carefully turned to look at what had caught Ravus’ attention. “Gladio, your shield has a bullet stuck in it.” 

Hugging Noct closer he tilted his head to look at the front of the shield. There directly in line with where Luna had been sitting was a bullet. It only took a second for his brain to process what that meant. The traitor was going to stop at nothing until they’d brought Lucis down. 

“Noct! Phone, I need your phone now!” Gladio yelled. 

His friend tapped his pocket and Gladio shoved his hand away to fish out the phone. Silently thanking the gods that he and Noct were practically family, and knew each other’s unlock codes, he dialed his dad.

Clarus picked up midway on the first ring. “Highness!” 

“He’s safe, Drautos is a traitor and he’s trying to fucking kill us all dad!” Gladio blurted for fear the phone might disconnect. The normally hardened voice of his father came back broken. 

“Gla--Gladiolus?!”

Hearing his father like that nearly crushed his heart. Unsure of how the fight would end he offered the first thing on his mind. “I love you dad and Iris too!” Gladio had to work to keep his emotions in check, he needed to protect Noct and Luna. “What should we do?”

A sniffle cut through the line and then Clarus spoke again, this time he sounded more like a solider. 

“Hold them off if you can, backup is on its way. Stay safe son.” The line cut out and Gladio wasn’t sure if they were using jammers or if his dad had hung up.

“My dad’s sending backup, we just have to hold them off until then.”

Noct chose this moment to start incoherently rambling. “Not safe – we have to – uh.” 

“Relax, I gotcha.” Gladio offered as he focused his attentions on the prince. Noct was like a rag doll in his arms, and it pained him that he couldn’t do more. He was still recovering from nearly dying a week ago! 

“I think someone is attacking that barrier from the other side.” Loqi exclaimed. “That solider isn’t going to be able to hold it up for much longer, I see holes already!” 

“We need more time, backup isn’t here yet!”

Ravus must have noticed the same thing as Loqi because he was now at the side door shoving Luna back into the seat. She protested slightly but didn’t put up much of a fight. Healing Loqi and helping Nyx had made her tired. Reaching out he tugged her closer and checked that she was behind the shield. 

“Luna --.” Noct mumbled. “It’s not safe here – you gotta go.” His eyes were wide as he delivered his message and the kid even managed to take hold of her hand. 

“Hey solider!” Loqi shouted suddenly, “hang on!” Without much more warning Loqi attempted to start the car, it shuddered and died on the first attempt. Loqi tried again and it started roughly after a few seconds. 

“What are you doing?!” Gladio yelled. The only answer he got was the car lurching into drive and surging forward. “Careful for Nyx!”

“I know, trust me!” Loqi hissed. 

Aranea had jumped back into the seat and was holding her pole arm out the window. “Let’s do this pipsqueak!” 

Nyx was sprawled across the front windshield and had dropped the barrier. He looked like his new mission was hanging on for dear life. 

“Head back to the main gate!” Ravus shouted. Where had he gone to? Gladio spun his head with a wince when he realized what was happening. Ravus was on the back of the car. The back window had blown out during the collision sending little bits of glass everywhere. The only benefit to this development was it allowed Ravus to reach through the window to hang on. Aranea had one arm on her weapon and the other was holding onto Ravus’ hand. 

Luna screaming brought his attention back to the front of the car where Loqi was headed straight for a line of soldiers. They all dove out of the way when he gunned the engine. “We won’t make it! They’ve got the other gate locked down already.” Gladio added in a rush. 

“You said to buy time!” Loqi squawked. “That’s what I’m doing!”

The car sped towards the other gate and it was clear there were a lot more people there than the last time. “Don’t barrel into them Loqi!” Gladio ordered.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Loqi huffed as he began slowly down slightly. “Glaive, I need your help!” he screamed out the window.

Gladio could see Nyx shift his body in preparation. He was worried for what would happen next, Nyx didn’t have much to hang onto out there save the wipers. Plus Loqi hadn’t exactly said what it was he wanted. The distance was closing fast between them and the gate. Then, when it seemed like there was nothing left to do, but stop short, Loqi turned sharply. Now it was the steel re-enforced fence they were hurtling towards. 

Unable to stop himself, he cried out in panic. Clutching Noct and Luna closer he hoped the impact wouldn’t break his neck. This was not how he wanted to go out, within sight of freedom. The horrid sound of twisted metal greeted his ears as the car jerked. They never stopped, the car kept moving forward somehow. 

Whipping his head up he saw what had happened. Nyx had used his magic and literally blown a hole through the fence. They were now driving on the grass heading for the main building. There was no way this was going to work. 

“Ravus, do something!” Loqi exclaimed after a moment. “The glaive passed out!”

Ravus grunted in response and then sprang into action. Luna screamed again and flinched when Ravus’ sword stabbed through the roof of the car, over the empty front passenger seat. Ravus grabbed Nyx’s coat collar and kept him from sliding off the hood and under the wheels. 

Another car in front of them had veered off the road and was heading straight for them. Gladio recognized the make, it was his fathers. “Loqi, that’s my dad in front of you!”

“Got it!” Loqi acknowledged as he kept on course. Their car slowed and ground to a halt a moment later. The sleek black car belonging to his dad roughly stopped beside them. The driver’s side door flung open and Clarus rushed out. The back door opened next, and King Regis exited looking angrier than Gladio had ever seen. 

In a flash the king had summoned his full line of weapons and was stomping past the car. He glanced in briefly with intense glowing eyes. He was pissed. 

“Should we hide?” Loqi whispered. “I can’t fight right now and it looks like there is going to be a rather large one happening right behind us.”

Turning to see Gladio noticed his father keeping stride with Regis as they took their positions. Almost as if he knew, Clarus turned and looked right at him, nodding his head slightly before facing forward. The car jostling caused Gladio to shout, but it was only Ravus jumping off the roof. He strode past Gladio’s window and was headed for King Regis. 

“Ravus! Don’t do anything stupid!” he shouted frantically. The man ignored him and continued on. “Aranea help! I can’t do anything right now and I’m not sure what he’s planning.” 

“Yeah I’m on it kiddo.” She announced while exciting the car. 

“Gladio, hey, big guy, there’s another car!” Loqi exclaimed while tapping the shield still secured on his arm. “Is this going to be a problem?” Pausing he took a shaky breath, “I’m going to grab that glaive, he’s out in the open and unprotected right now.” 

Looking out the window Gladio saw another black sedan headed their way. He knew that car well, it was technically Noct’s but Ignis always usually drove it. “It’s more good guys!” He added quickly. “They can help, just wait a second. You shouldn’t be moving around anyway.” The car in question stopped a few feet away, and was barely in park when the driver’s door opened and Cor sprang out. He paused for a nano second when he spotted Gladio. The look of relief on his face was clear as day. Then, he was moving again to stand by his king and friend. 

“Was that the immortal?” Loqi sputtered as he turned to get a better look. 

Before he was able to answer the sound of another car door opening forced him to look back. Gladio’s breath caught in his throat, it was Ignis. Emotion overwhelmed him as he watched Ignis run over. The poor guy looked exhausted, had he not been sleeping? Coming out of his stupor Gladio shouted through the window. “Check on Nyx! We’re alright!”

Ignis only paused for a moment, seemingly stuck in place, before he nodded curtly. Gladio could hear him talking to Nyx to see if he would wake up. The glaive stirred after a second, and groaned loud enough to be heard in the car. 

“Hey! Put him in here!” Loqi exclaimed as he banged on the dash. “We need to get outta here!” 

Ignis glanced in and then something happened behind the car that caused his eyes to go wide. There was no time to figure out what was going on when the glowing light of fire magic illuminated the area. Panicking Gladio swiveled in his seat to try and get a better look. What he saw was shocking. 

The magic barrier was back, but this time it was Regis creating it. Standing on the other side was a man in a huge suit of shiny armor. That must have been Glauca or Drautos, he wasn’t sure anymore. 

“Oh shit this is gonna be epic.” Loqi breathed. “Ravus and Aranea are on the other side too.”

Gladio was about to have another mental breakdown, Ravus was on the wrong side of the barrier, and could easily take a shot at the king while he was distracted fighting Drautos. Aranea had said she would handle it, he had to trust her. He was struggling with this issue while also desperately wanting to hug Ignis, talk to his dad, help protect Noct, and fight all at the same time. This was the true definition of overwhelmed. 

Nyx’s pained voice broke through his mental fog, and Gladio realized Ignis was dragging him off the hood. Loqi leaned over carefully and popped the passenger door open. Gladio could hear Ignis grunting at the effort. Nyx was nearly dead weight supported against him. Right when Ignis was lowering Nyx into the seat a loud explosion sounded from behind the car. Turning quickly, Gladio saw the man in the silver armor fighting with Regis. His dad was close by and ready to attack if need be. Squinting to see better through the murky barrier Gladio could make out three other figures. It seemed Cor, Aranea, and Ravus were all with his dad, ready to lend aid to the king. 

A figure soon appeared in his peripheral, and Gladio refocused his eyes. Ignis was sliding into the backseat and working to close the door without mushing Luna. The oracle merely mumbled and slumped further into Gladio. 

“Luna, are you alright?” He asked with worry. Yet again, his mind had to catch up and rethink the situation. Ignis was right there in front of him, within reach, but he needed to check on Luna first. 

She nodded and smiled softly. “I was trying to help Noct.” 

“Wha?” Looking down he realized what she meant. Luna had been holding Noct’s hand the whole time and she’d been trying to heal him. 

“Noct?” Ignis tried as he reached over and shook the prince gently.

“M’sleepin’” Noct grumbled while trying to burrow into Gladio’s shirt. 

Ignis seemed satisfied with that answer and turned his attentions to Luna. “Lady Lunafreya, please rest. Save your strength.” 

The princess merely sighed, and slide further down Gladio’s chest coming to a stop when she’d hit Noct’s stomach. 

“Gladio, do you think you could relinquish your shield, I can summon one if need be.” Ignis offered with an uncharacteristically shaky voice. 

Nodding, he slowly released the item, and watched as it burst into shimmery blue shards. His arm was stiff from holding it for so long. Readjusting slightly to ease the pain he carefully reached out with his free arm and grabbed Ignis’ collar. Ignis looked puzzled until he pulled him close enough to touch foreheads. 

“Fuck you’re bleeding!” Nyx wheezed, interrupting their moment. 

Ignis flinched, pulling back; his green eyes were watery and full of emotion. “Who exactly?” he croaked. 

“Huh? Oh I’m okay now.” Loqi answered quickly, “Luna healed me.” 

Ignis hummed in acknowledgement, but remained silent. Gladio could tell that he was working hard to keep it together. Most of them were injured or exhausted so fighting was out of the question. The sounds of battle raging on was truly unsettling, metal on metal and distant war cries kept Gladio’s adrenaline pumping. Simultaneously wanting to look and cover his eyes Gladio didn’t know if he could handle being so close to the action. 

Gladio’s heart was racing, he needed to calm down. Logically he knew that he couldn’t help. He literally had two humans weighing him down and he could hardly walk. “What do we do? We need to help.” He asked weakly. “What if they get hurt?”

“Clarus knows your safe and that’s all that matters right now Gladio.” Ignis offered as he nervously turned to watch the battle. “We need to protect his highness and Princess Lunafreya.” 

“Is Noct sleepin’?” Nyx mumbled a second later. 

“Yes I’m afraid he’s passed out at the moment.” Ignis answered softly.

“Lucky bastard,” he retorted while listing to the side and gracelessly thumping his head into the window. 

Loqi sat up straight and winced at the movement. His eyes were trained out the back of the car and he almost looked like a spooked animal about to bolt. “The barrier, it’s got holes again,” he announced. “And now it’s gone! We gotta go!”

“Wait!” Ignis yelled once the barrier had completely fallen. “I see Drautos, he’s down.” 

Everything that came after that was a blur. Gladio could hear Ignis talking to him but he didn’t register anything. There might have been someone touching his arm he wasn’t sure. The door suddenly opened and his dad was kneeling before him. Clarus had blood on his face and he was breathing heavily, but he was there and he was alive. Six he wanted to hug his dad so bad, but he had to figure out how to get out of the car first. 

“Dad --,” was all he managed to spit out before he started hyperventilating. This reaction caused him to instantly worry about Noct and Luna. Had he been in shock up until this point? Why was he freaking out now? Apparently gasping for air like a fish out of water, made everyone pay attention. Gladio was dimly aware of his dad trying to talk him through breathing properly. Ignis must have been on his other side because someone was rubbing his shoulder. 

The one bit of information he did gather was the word doctor. That was not a welcome suggestion. His mind was flooded with memories of his time in Niflheim. Images of needles and men in white lab coats swam across his vision. “No! Don’t let them take me back there!” He hollered. He’d escaped he wasn’t going back! The pressure in his chest was starting to suffocate, he needed air. The last thing he remembered was throwing himself out of the car and into his father’s arms. 


	7. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio finally manages to get some control back in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kicked my butt. I didn't realize how long it'd been since I updated!!! OMG so sorry! 
> 
> Emotions are hard to write sometimes. Anywho I hope you all enjoy and forgive the delay.

Gladio was struggling to determine whether his mind was playing tricks. They’d just stormed the citadel gate. Or maybe that had been a dream. He was too overwhelmed to process things and could only focus on what was literally right in front of him. Uncertain if he’d blacked out or simply had a panic attack Gladio pried his eyes open to check.

Clarus was hovering over him and holding his hand. Thank the six, he’d only been asleep earlier, he was home. Sighing in relief Gladio slumped further into the man’s arms. He was about to let his eyelids slip closed once more when he saw it, a white lab coat and the man wearing it briskly coming his way. 

Panic bubbled up inside his gut as he looked on with worry. He wasn’t going to let them experiment on him any longer. He was going to fight back this time. Gladio physically recoiled in Clarus’ hold and tried scraping his feet on the ground to get away. “Don’t let them touch me!” He yelled, “I don’t want to go through that again!”

“Gladio what are you talking about? Who do you see?” Clarus asked as the man in the lab coat finally reached them. “Calm down I can help!”

Gladio couldn’t explain himself clearly and opted to shove the newcomer away with his free hand. “Don’t fucking touch me!” He bellowed. “I won’t let you hurt me anymore.” He tried to summon his shield to block the man but nothing appeared. 

“Are you in pain?” Clarus asked with worry. “The doctor needs to look you over befo--.”

“No!” Gladio interrupted. “Please dad, I just wanna go home. Luna healed me already, please just take me home.” He pleaded. Gladio had been through enough and he wanted to be away from everyone more than anything right now.

“Can I try and help?” Another voice asked from overhead.

Gladio craned his neck up to see. The afternoon sun was illuminating the silhouette of whoever had just spoken, making it near impossible to see clearly. However, when they stepped to the side in a familiar fidgety manner Gladio thought he knew who it was. Prompto’s tuft of blond hair was shining in the sunlight as he stooped down to talk. 

“Hey big guy,” he croaked. “Um --.” The kid paused and looked completely lost for words. He face was red and blotchy and Gladio could see fresh tear tracks down his freckled cheeks. 

“Prompto? How – how.” Gladio wanted to say more but his brain was suddenly assaulted with strange memories of people in giant glass tubes. Squeezing his eyes shut he tried to blot the image from his mind. Instead the mental imagery became more vivid. Some of the faces of those people had been familiar. They’d had the face of someone he knew. 

The terror he’d experienced in one of his more lucid moments while being held captive had come to the surface. Gladio had been positive he’d seen Prompto in one of those tubes. The kid wasn’t in the guard so there was no way he’d been captured. Gladio had forced himself to accept that as the truth. Otherwise, he would have gone mad with worry over his friend. 

“You didn’t get captured? Right?” Gladio asked desperately. 

“Wha – n--no!” Prompto spluttered. “I’m fine! I just wanna make sure you’re okay.”

Gladio didn’t have a chance to reply; the dude in the lab coat was back. Lashing out with his fist Gladio got the guy to back off pretty quick. He was about to start kicking when his dad waved the man off. Taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves didn’t help and Gladio started having another panic attack. Gasping for air he was only able to cling to his dad and clamp his eyes shut. An all-encompassing feeling of silence engulfed his body, and he passed out. 

* * *

The next time Gladio opened his eyes, he saw something familiar. A textured white ceiling complete with the scratch he made while testing his sword for the first time. His brain didn’t register this as reality for a good thirty seconds. Sighing woefully, he rolled over expecting to wake up, and instead bumped into his sister’s head. 

What little vestiges of sleep remained were banished in an instant. Gladio sat up in a rush and grabbed Iris by the shoulders. “Hey? Are you real?” Six he hoped he wasn’t dreaming. 

Iris went to shove him away and then froze. “Gladdy!” The scream she let loose probably woke shiva. His sister tackled him for a hug and started sobbing, loudly. 

It didn’t take long for Gladio to start crying as well. Iris was really there and he was hugging her with all his might. Neither of them could speak and could only try and express their emotions through tears and hugging. Another touch on his back caused Gladio to snap his head up. Clarus was there and reaching out to embrace them both. 

Gladio let his emotions take over as he broke down with his family. This was real and he was finally home. After what felt like an eternity he managed to lean back and take a deep breath. “S –sorry I need air.” He gasped. It was in this moment he noticed there was one other person in the room. Ignis was hovering near the side of the bed. He was crying but with much more poise than the rest of them. “Iggy – babe,” Gladio rasped as he moved to hold his arm out. Ignis thankfully didn’t hesitate to take his hand, and Gladio quickly pulled him over to join the hug. “Six, I missed you all so much.” Gladio exclaimed. 

“Are you in pain?” Clarus asked with concern once he’d leaned away. 

Gladio shook his head. “Luna healed me, so I’m not in pain.” 

“That means you were at one point though, right?” Iris asked with wide eyes. 

Unsure if he should tell his little sister the whole and complete truth or just the abbreviated version Gladio opted for vagueness. “Yeah, I was hurt, but Luna helped me.” 

“Did they torture you?” Iris asked, this time with a touch of anger. Gladio could tell Iris was itching to pick a fight with the people who’d hurt him.

“Um – a little?” He answered. Looking to his dad for guidance he was met with the same look of determination. Great, they both were out for blood. Ignis remained quiet and simply held his hand, albeit rather hard. “Don’t you know already?” Gladio inquired. “Didn’t they tell you?” 

“I’ve not been made aware of the full details at this time. We’ve all been by your side since you got back.” Clarus supplied. 

“Oh – well um – honestly I don’t remember much. There was a lab and it sorta sucked to be awake. Then they broke me out and we all escaped on Aranea’s dropship.” 

“Luna was in Niflhiem?” Clarus asked with a furrowed brow. 

“Huh – uh – no, we had to stop and pick her up, but I don’t remember that at all. I was in that dropship and then I was in a hotel room and Luna was there. Seriously dad, I don’t remember a lot. I was passed out for most of the trip back here.”

“Did they drug you?” He asked fiercely.

“No, I was tired and needed to sleep. Whatever process Luna used to heal me made me super tired. I couldn’t even stay standing on my own until yesterday.” At the mere mention of his body, Gladio became aware of how tired he still was. “I need to lie down.” He mumbled before he began to topple backwards. 

Iris squeaked with alarm when Gladio thumped against the pillows. “Gladdy, don’t pass out again, please.” She begged.

“M’not gonna do that,” though the idea of sleep did sound nice. 

“Perhaps some food might help?” Ignis offered as he squeezed his hand. 

“Yes! Gladdy loves eating!” Iris enthused. “Stay awake I’m gonna go tell Jared we need some food.”

Gladio didn’t have time to reply. Iris dashed off the bed and ran out the room like her hair was on fire. 

“Son, why did Luna need to heal you?” Clarus asked solemnly once Iris was out of earshot. 

Sighing heavily Gladio figured they’d find out one way or another. “I was turning into a daemon.”

Clarus reached out in an instant and grabbed his arm. “Son we need to get you to the doctor, now! Are you fe--.”

“Dad, trust me, I’m healed.” Gladio interrupted. “My fucking arm was totally black and the pain was unbearable, believe me when I say Luna healed me.” He paused and took a breath. “I can’t handle any doctors right now.” It seemed as if his dad wanted to ask a million more questions but he pursed his lips instead and looked away. “Give me time.” Gladio added quietly.

“Gladiolus, I’ll give you as much as you need and more.” Clarus announced with conviction. “I’m merely working to control my anger so I don’t do anything rash.” 

A soft sniffle drew Gladio’s attention and he peered up at Ignis. His was still crying and looked terribly exhausted. “Babe, what’s wrong? You look so tired.”

“He’s worse than me.” Clarus offered before Ignis could reply. “I don’t think either of us has gotten much sleep since you were captured.”

“Can he use one of the guest rooms?”

“I’m not – I’m not leaving you.” Ignis sputtered. “I’m fine.” 

“Like titan’s ass you are Ignis, you need to rest.” Clarus grumbled. 

“I slept a little, earlier.” 

“Sleeping on a cot doesn’t count as a good night’s rest Ignis.”

“Neither does sleeping in an arm chair.” Ignis shot back.

Clarus barked out a laugh and sighed heavily. “Your boyfriend suits you Gladio.” 

It was in this instant that Gladio realized he’d called Ignis babe and they were still holding hands. There was no going back, his dad knew their secret. “Does Iris know?”

“Know what? That you’re dating Ignis?” Clarus asked with a raised eyebrow. “Of course, she’s just as bad as you!”

“I’m not bad!” Iris trilled as she appeared in the doorway a split second later. “What’d I do?”

“Nothing horrible sweetheart.” Clarus supplied with a warm smile. “Tell your brother what you said when you found out about Ignis.” 

Iris had by now clambered up on the bed and taken Gladio’s free hand. “I wanted to know if I could be a flower girl at your wedding.” 

Gladio could feel his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. “Wed—wedding – would you – um – six.” 

Thankfully Ignis saved him from fully choking. “Should Gladio and I stay together long enough to take that step, I don’t see why not.” 

Iris squealed in delight and flopped down next to him on the bed. “I wanna help plan everything.” 

Still dumbstruck by the conversation that had transpired Gladio could only nod and smile. His mind was reeling and he was having trouble keeping up. When the sound of footsteps outside his room made Gladio flinch, he knew it was going to take a while to get back to normal. Jared appeared a second later with a tray full of food and his smile was enough to momentarily ease Gladio’s worries. 

“I was informed that someone might be hungry.” The man smiled warmly as he set the tray down. 

“Thanks for helping me out earlier Jared, I didn’t know who else to call.” Gladio offered while trying to sit up again. Eating lying down wasn’t such a good idea. Ignis had to haul him upright and Iris rearranged the pillows to support his back. 

“Anytime Gladio, though I am very curious to learn more about that incident when you are feeling better.” Jared replied as he sat on the end of the bed.

Thinking back to how they’d all gained entry into Insomnia Gladio suddenly realized he didn’t know what had happened to everyone. “They aren’t in jail are they?” he blurted without thinking.

“Are you referring to your traveling companions?” Clarus checked. 

“They helped me, six, they are gonna be so pissed at me if they got chucked in jail.” Gladio lamented.

“Honestly I’m not entirely sure what their status is at the moment. We’ve been a little preoccupied. Perhaps it might make sense for me to call in and update everyone. I can gather some more information. Just to clarify, you maintain their innocence and can assure me that they treated you well.”

“Yeah dad, they helped me. We need to hear them out on what they have to say.” 

“Very well, I’ll go see what I can find out.” Clarus announced as he stood up. Turning to Iris he added. “Munchkin, why don’t you come keep me company. I might get a chance to talk to Noctis, you could say hi if you wanted.”

Iris looked torn between wanting to go with Clarus and staying with him. “It’s okay, I’ll be alright.” Gladio offered. “I’m gonna eat all that food and then take a nap. I’ll start snoring and I know how much you love that.” He teased. 

His sister pulled a face and rolled her eyes. “You are soooo loud, it’s a wonder you don’t wake the neighbors.” Both Clarus and Ignis did a poor job of hiding their laughter at the remark. “Are you sure?” She asked softly. 

Nodding Gladio squeezed her hand, “I’m home, and I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Okay, yell if you need us.” Iris ordered with bright eyes as she went to follow Clarus.

It didn’t take long for the room to clear out once again, aside from Ignis, who’d not moved an inch since he’d sat down next to him. Turning to face him Gladio saw the dark circles under his eyes. Ignis looked exhausted. “Babe you should lie down, you look worse than me. That’s wrong.” Gladio mused. 

Ignis opened his mouth to reply but dropped his head and leaned over to rest on Gladio’s shoulder. “I love you,” was all he managed to say. 

“I love you more,” Gladio responded. “Now, help me get that tray closer and then grab a blanket and take a fucking nap with me.” Gladio smiled as he watched Ignis carefully retrieve the tray and balance it on a pillow for him. Ignis then snagged a large blanket and joined him a moment later. 

Gladio had barely finished half of a juicy roast beef sandwich when he realized Ignis was already asleep. His slender hand was lightly resting on Gladio’s bicep and Ignis’ mouth was already starting to part. It was a rare sight seeing Ignis so vulnerable. Clearly they’d all had a very rough time while he was away. A thought flashed through his mind of the awful facility in Niflheim and it made Gladio’s skin crawl. He had to figure out how to move forward from this, and heal. Gladio had a duty to do and he wasn’t going to let this take over his life. He wasn’t going to live in fear. 

Eating slowly so as not to disturb Ignis, Gladio focused on relaxing. The stress of trying to make it home was gone. He’d made it. However, it didn’t take long before his eyes were starting to droop, sleep was calling. Leaning back Gladio was able to rest comfortably, and for the first time since he’d been captured, he was actually aware of drifting off.

* * *

A weight being lifted off his chest made Gladio sigh, and his dad’s voice reached his ears a second later. “You fell asleep with the tray. Sleep more if you’d like.” 

Gladio only managed a grunt in response. It was easy to go back to sleep, but he started to think of things he wanted to ask his dad about. Cracking his eyes open showed his father hadn’t walked very far. “What’d I miss?” He asked groggily.

“Lots of things, but nothing you need to know about this instant.” Clarus supplied.

Turning his head revealed Ignis sleeping soundly, the dark circles under his eyes were still there but his face looked relaxed. “Are they okay?”

Clarus seemed to understand his meaning and nodded. “They aren’t in jail, and it appears they’ve been asking about you.”

“Really?”

“That seems to be the case, at least according to Cor. He’s been in charge of interviewing them all.” 

“How’s Loqi? He got shot.” Gladio checked with worry. 

“That’s the short spunky blond one right?” Clarus confirmed. “He’s recovering well.”

“Noct is better right? He wore himself out warping over to me when we arrived. Oh six, and Nyx too!” Gladio breathed. 

“They are both fine. Noct and your other friend Prompto wish to visit as soon as you’re up for it. I assumed you’d rather be more alert for receiving guests.” 

“Yeah, sure, that works.” Gladio paused and couldn’t help but voice the thoughts beginning to bubble up in his head. “Sorry, dad. I didn’t mean to make you all worry. I – I did my best.”

“My sweet boy, don’t think like that. I’m not going to lie, it’s been a hard few weeks thinking the worst. You fulfilled your sworn oath and protected Noct. What was supposed to have been a simple diplomatic trip, outside the wall, went to hell in a handbasket. You went above and beyond so don’t apologize for anything.” Clarus paused and bit his lips. “You displayed such valor in the face of impossible odds. I’m so proud of you.” 

Gladio could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. He’d not heard his dad talk like that in a long, long time. His mother’s death was the last time he’d gotten so serious on the matters of life. Sniffling softly Gladio choked out, “love you dad.”

“I love you too. Why don’t you get more rest and perhaps we’ll talk later.”

Nodding Gladio wiped his tears away and reached out to grab his dad’s hand. “Thanks for taking care of me.” 

“I may be shield to the king but I will always protect my family.” Clarus replied with conviction. “Rest, Ignis has the right idea. You don’t have anywhere to be, relax and heal.” 

It wasn’t long before Gladio was feeling the pulls of sleep once more. He couldn’t wait to be stronger again and have some mobility back, but for now his dad was right. He could rest without worry. 


	8. Catching Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio takes stock of life now that's he back and healing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just gonna drop this in here and run away. o-o I'm struggling with some serious lack of motivation for this fic right now so I apologize for the long delay in between chapters. That being said see the end notes for more stuff...

The next time Gladio woke up he was feeling refreshed instead of drained, and awake. Attempting to sit up was even an improvement. He managed to get some pillows behind his back, allowing him to sit up and relax. Looking around Gladio saw his book sitting on the bedside table. Trying to remember where he’d left off was a challenge; hopefully he’d recall everything when he picked up it again. 

Turning to the side Gladio noted that Ignis was still passed out. Gladio wanted to talk with him but it was obvious Ignis needed rest. For him to not stir when Gladio had rolled over was telling. Opting to reach out he ran his fingers through Ignis’ fine hair, relishing in the sensation. His boyfriend made a small noise at the touch but remained asleep. 

A knock made Gladio look up; Iris was standing in the doorway looking slightly unsure. “What’s up?” he asked with a smile. “Everything okay?”

Iris nodded and walked into the room slowly. “I was waiting for you to wake up; we didn’t get to talk much earlier,” she sighed. “I also don’t want to disturb Iggy, he’s sleeping.” Iris all but whispered as she drew closer. 

“I guess he had a tough time while I was away, huh?”

His sister nodded and looked over at Ignis with a frown. “He and daddy stayed up late talking about stuff, even Cor came over and they would talk more.” 

“What were they talking about?” Gladio asked with worry.

Iris shrugged, “I dunno, anytime I came in to check they shooed me away.”

“Did they yell?”

“Sometimes they did, but when I would see them the next day, they would be the same. It didn’t look they were mad at each other though.”

“Gonna st’m nif’m” Ignis suddenly murmured without opening his eyes. 

Iris went wide eyed and nervously danced from one foot to other. “Sorry!” She hissed under her breath. I didn’t mean to wake him up.” 

Gladio put up his hand and shook his head. “I don’t think he’s awake.” He quietly offered, watching Ignis carefully. His breathing evened out after a minute and it appeared he’d fallen back to sleep. One part of Gladio wanted to keep talking in hopes Ignis would rouse, but he knew that was selfish. Turning to Iris he smiled. “Think you could help me downstairs? I can sit and talk with you more.” Iris’ face lit up and she nodded eagerly. 

After Gladio was certain he wouldn’t crush his sister, he let her pull him up off the bed. Gravity tried to take hold again but he was able to fight back this time. Heaving a sigh of relief Gladio slowly ambled over to his desk and scribbled a quick note for Ignis, should he wake. The last thing he wanted was for the man to worry that he was missing once again. Gladio was pretty sure he’d said something about storming Niflheim earlier. He wouldn’t put it past Ignis, Cor, or his dad to try. 

Gladio thought he was doing fairly well as they left his room and headed towards the stairs. However, a slight wobble in his knees made him reconsider. “Iris, do you wanna talk in your room, maybe? I’m not sure I can make it down the stairs in one piece.”

“That’s easy,” Iris offered with a shrug, “scoot down on your butt.” 

Gladio felt a little dumb for not having realized that option. When Iris sat down next to him and began bumping down step by step Gladio couldn’t help but smile. Of course they turned it into a game and the last few steps were taken as more of a slide. He was winded at the bottom but with Iris’ help he got upright again and staggered into the living room. “Hey where’s dad?” Gladio asked once he saw the door to Clarus’ study was open and the light was off. 

“Sleeping,” Iris hummed, “he was tired like Ignis.” 

Falling heavily onto the sofa Gladio focused his attention back on Iris. “So tell me exactly how you found out about Ignis and me dating.”

“Gahhh – it was so sweet!” Iris wailed as she flopped down next to him. “Daddy knew something was up with Ignis but he wouldn’t tell at first. You’d been missing for three days before Ignis actually came over to the house. He was super nervous and then daddy asked him to stay for dinner.”

Gladio waited but Iris looked like she was done with her story. “So he stayed for dinner and then what happened?”

“He ate and then daddy kept asking him really weird questions. Like about your favorite foods and stuff, and your training schedule.”

Suddenly Gladio was worried that his dad hadn’t been happy that they were together, but he’d been fine earlier. “Was he mad?”

“Dad? No, he was fine. He and Ignis went to his study afterwards and talked forever.”

“Okay, I’m missing the sweet part of the story, can you skip to that?” Gladio asked with baited breath.

Iris nodded and smiled, “yeah, yeah, it was when they finished talking later that night. Before Ignis went home he sat down in the living room and asked to talk to me. I almost cried Gladdy! He wanted to know if I could keep a secret.”

“About us, you mean?”

His sister nodded furiously. “He said you two had been dating for over a year and that he would be so grateful if I kept it hush, hush.” 

“You don’t mind right?” Gladio checked. 

“I’m so excited for you both, why would I mind? Anyway, that’s what he told me.” Iris added as she bounced in her seat. “It felt so special to be included and Ignis was really nice about it.”

Pulling his sister over for a hug Gladio tried not to cry. Judging by the look on Iris’ face when he pulled away he’d not succeeded. Her smile was soft and it didn’t take long for her to join in the waterworks show. They were Amicitia’s, a family of huggers and criers apparently. “Sorry,” he mumbled a second later.

“It’s okay, I’m just happy you’re home.” She sniffled in response. 

They spent another hour talking about who’d come to the house to visit, and what Cor looked like with a full beard. It seemed he wasn’t keeping up appearances during Gladio’s absence. Shaving, along with proper rest had gone by the wayside. Gladio was still amazed at how everyone had acted during his time away. Not that he was surprised; he suspected he’d have acted similarly if Ignis had been captured. The thought alone made him shudder. A small part of Gladio was thankful he’d been the one to endure the enemy’s hand. He wouldn’t wish for anyone to go through what he’d suffered. 

The hours whittled away as Iris filled in the gaps during his absence. Gladio didn’t realize how much time had passed until he heard a noise from the kitchen. His stomach instantly grumbled at the prospect of food. Iris caught on straight away and nearly pulled him off the couch to go investigate. 

The sight that greeted him was unexpected. Gladio had assumed Jared was in the kitchen but Ignis was there instead, and he’d changed as well. The pair of well-worn sweatpants and t-shirt was a favorite of Ignis’. He’d not had time to go home, so that was slightly perplexing. “Did you accidentally leave those here?” Gladio asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Ignis immediately turned and walked over to give him a hug. “No. I brought them on purpose. They are my favorites remember?” he offered with his head buried in Gladio’s shoulder. 

“Yeah I know, but how’d they get here?” Gladio tried again still confused as to why Ignis had stuff at his house that he didn’t know about.

“Gladdy,” Iris sighed good naturedly, “Ignis has been living in the guest room for nearly a week.” 

“Huh?! A week?” 

“Your father, Cor and I were planning things and it was better for me to be here.” Ignis offered before releasing Gladio and striding back over to the counter. 

“What kinda of things?” Gladio was worried about what they could have possibly been planning. They were all formidable soldiers on their own. The combined forces of all three was a concern. 

“We were going to rescue you.” Ignis announced simply like it was normal. 

“Did you even know where I was?”

“We had an idea, there was one more bit of data we needed to be sure. You arrived before we had the chance to act.”

“I gotta sit down.” Gladio murmured while reaching out to hold onto his sister’s shoulders. Iris easily helped him to a bar stool. She hovered a little once he was sitting, probably to make sure he didn’t topple over. 

“Gladdy, are you ever gonna tell me what they did to you?” Iris asked with a frown. 

“Iris it sucked, it hurt, and that’s all you need to know. I don’t wanna give you nightmares. I’m feeling good and with some help from everybody I’ll get even better.” 

Iris didn’t seem to like his reply. “Fine, but I’m here if you ever need to talk okay?”

Gladio pulled her into a hug and they held each other for a long while. “When did you get so grown up? How long was I gone for anyway?”

Ignis answered this time as he set a plate of food down on the bar. “Eight days, and four hours I believe. Now eat up, you need more rest and I want another nap.” 

* * *

“Are you sure about this?” Loqi checked again as he bounced around on the training mat. “You look a little winded and we’ve only been at this for ten minutes.” 

“I gotta – try.” Gladio gasped. Astrals training was hard; apparently nearly dying really took a toll on one’s muscles. 

“You’re not going to pass out are you?” Noct asked with worry as he walked over and felt his forehead. 

Gladio swatted his hand away and carefully bent down to retrieve his training sword. “Noct, I have to get back in shape.” 

“Yeah, but you don’t have to rush into things.” The prince griped. 

Gladio knew he should take it easy, but he needed to get back in shape. It’d been almost two weeks since they’d literally crashed through the back door at the citadel. The investigation into Drautos was still ongoing. He’d not survived the battle so his reason for betraying them all had died with him. Ravus and Luna were staying sequestered in their guest suite so aside from a few visits he didn’t see them much. 

Aranea had been giving Cor and Clarus information regarding Niflheim and its military forces. She’d even managed to get help in retrieving her drop ship from the middle of the woods somewhere. The emperor had done enough unsavory things that Aranea was fed up with the empire. The scourge was growing and she wanted to be on the side actively fighting it, not messing with it. 

Loqi had taken a few days to himself to properly heal after his injury, but he was back to his annoying self in no time. Cor had almost gotten to the point that he had to run away from the kid when he saw him. Loqi challenged Cor to a sparring match every single time they crossed paths. In a surprising move Cor had even cleared Loqi to help Gladio train with Noct. Though Gladio suspected it was merely an effort to keep Loqi from bothering him. The kid had proved himself already in Gladio’s eyes. If he’d wanted to cause harm Loqi would’ve already done so. 

“Ready?!” Loqi shouted, breaking Gladio’s train of thought. The blond was standing a few feet away and waiting for him to answer. 

“Huh – go easy.” He managed before Loqi barreled into him at full speed. The room spun after that and Gladio could have sworn he saw stars. Thankfully, the mat was padded and made the descent hurt less.

“Don’t break him!” Noct yelled. 

“He’s unbreakable!” Loqi quipped. “Come on big guy, let’s go again!”

Training absolutely wrecked him. By the time an hour had passed Gladio could barely stand. Both Noct and Loqi had to support him as they walked to the locker room. One of them was smart enough to find him a small plastic stool for the shower. At least that way he didn’t fall over while getting cleaned up. The ache in Gladio’s muscles was constant but it felt good in a familiar way. Luna had recently alluded to him that the healing process may have atrophied his muscles. It was almost as if Gladio’s body had created new tissue which needed sculpting all over again. That would certainly explain why everything was taking a lot longer than he’d hoped. 

Later that night, as he was comfortably resting on the sofa Gladio finally allowed his mind to think about the future. Everyone was very clingy with him these days. Ignis was still living in their guest room and Iris hung out with him way more than normal. His father even took his work home more often than not, just to be nearby. The idea that all of this was so close to being taken away from him made Gladio’s heart beat faster. There had to be a way to beat the empire. The intel they had now was mind boggling, between what Aranea, Loqi, and Ravus had told them. 

Niflheim was still a threat and they had to figure out how to handle them. Taking a deep breath Gladio shifted slightly to make sure Ignis was awake still. The advisor had been leaning into him and watching TV. Iris had picked the show and they were making fun of it, though Ignis’ comments had stopped a little while ago. Gladio suspected he drifted off. His father had even joined them in the living room but he was reading instead.

Ignis groaned softly and lifted his head to look at him with a smile. “What did I miss?” He asked sleepily. 

“Nothing much, I just wanted to talk.” 

Humming Ignis scooted to sit up straighter. “What about?” He inquired while straightening his glasses.

“Plans for dealing with the empire.” Gladio whispered.

Oh. That’s not quite after dinner chat is it.” Ignis sighed. “What if we tackled that tomorrow with your father and the king.” He offered quietly.

“Yeah, that works.” Gladio didn’t really want to go over such a heavy topic in front of his sister anyway. 

Iris began talking over them about something stupid happening in the show and Ignis switched gears like it was nothing. Gladio hugged him closer and enjoyed the quiet moment with his family. He’d been surprised that they’d planned a rescue for him. That wasn’t written into any protocol anywhere. Gladio suspected that Cor, his father, and Ignis were acting on their own. Silently thankful it never came to that, Gladio took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Napping with Ignis in his arms and Iris chattering on the background felt like home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who've stuck with this little fic I thank you so much for the support, it's helped more than you know. At this time in the story I'm at a cross roads in terms of how to move forward. If any one cares to cast an opinion let me know in the comments. 
> 
> I'm debating about one of the following:   
> #1 Continue on with complete fix it fic (most likely another 8+ chapters with a couple months in between updates)   
> or   
> #2 Wrap up everything short and sweet with a time skip and epilogue. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading!!


	9. Check Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio has a doctor's visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've decided to go for the long haul with this fic, I'm working to post a new chapter at least every two months, though if inspiration strikes it could be sooner. Thank you for the support and sticking with me, it really helps keep me motivated. So I hope you enjoy the latest chapter!

“I can’t believe my dad is making me do this,” Gladio huffed as they walked down the hallway. 

“He’s only looking out for your wellbeing,” Ignis replied quietly. 

“I’m good, I feel totally fine. There really isn’t any need for me to go to the doctor,” he pouted. The meeting they had with Regis and his father earlier that week hadn’t gone exactly as planned. Gladio had only wanted to know what the plan was to stop the empire. Instead his father had suggested he get a checkup so he could be officially cleared for active duty. Gladio had wanted to get back into the swing of things, but going to the doctor’s office was not something he wanted to do. 

“I’ll be in the waiting room, nothing bad will happen,” Ignis affirmed with a nod.

The still, vibrant memories of his time in Niflheim came flooding back, as they approached the doctor’s office. Visions of people in lab coats and needles made his heart race. He’d never been afraid of the doctor before, but now after everything that had happened, Gladio felt different. Finally responding to Ignis, Gladio worked to keep his breathing under control. “Yeah, I know, but it still makes me uncomfortable.” 

Ignis flashed him a knowing look and squeezed his hand, “You’ve only told me bits and pieces but I can only imagine what you’re feeling right now.”

“I wish I could describe it better,” he lamented. “Come on; let’s just get this over with.” Gladio grumbled as they entered the waiting room. 

Two people caught his attention right away when he opened the door. “What are you doing here? Is everything alright?” he asked with worry. 

“We’re here for you actually,” Ravus offered as he stood and reached out to shake his hand. 

“Ravus found out by accident about your appointment today, and he insisted we come along to offer moral support,” Luna chimed in as she stood up. 

“Did you tell her?” Gladio asked immediately. He had been going to the therapist for about a week now but they were the only person he’d gone into any detail with. Unable to bear the thought of putting his family, and Ignis through his pain he’d opted to stay quiet about certain things. 

“Nothing more than what she saw with her own eyes.” Ravus sighed. 

Shuddering at the memory, Gladio could only put on a weak smile and look away. Luna had seen him literally at his worst, when he was turning into a daemon. Hopefully, the vision of his horrid appearance wasn’t haunting her. “Sorry you had to go through all that.”

“Oh no, don’t you dare apologize,” Luna rushed, “you’ve done nothing wrong. Don’t worry Gladio, you’ll do wonderful today, and get a clean bill of health. I’m sure of it.” 

Humming in acknowledgment, Gladio turned towards the receptionist and tried not to let his nerves get the better of him. This was a standard checkup, nothing crazy. However, as he tried to reassure his brain that this activity was non-threatening, Gladio could feel his breathing getting labored. Simply following the nurse back to the exam room was a struggle. Thinking he might be able to tolerate the whole experience and suffer through as it were, he ignored the warning signs his body was displaying. His breathing hadn’t gotten better, and now his palms were sweating. 

The nurse gave him instructions to remove his clothes and change into the gown she’d left on the table. Waiting for her to leave Gladio slowly took off his shoes and could feel his body swaying. Reaching out and grabbing onto the exam table gave him goosebumps. Remembering what Ignis had said, Gladio swallowed hard and righted himself. Nothing bad was going to happen.

Unfortunately, his subconscious had other plans. The second the doctor knocked, and walked into the small exam room, Gladio suddenly couldn’t breathe. Considering the person he was now trapped with should have known what to do, things didn’t go so well. The doctor was talking to him but Gladio didn’t hear a word of it. He had to get out of there, but his body wouldn’t move. Sinking to the floor with a thud, Gladio could only hear the pounding of his heart as the rush of blood sounded in his ears. 

The doctor grabbed his arm but Gladio quickly pushed him away. He may have yelled, Gladio wasn’t sure anymore. Only dimly aware of the door being ripped open as he gasped for breath, Gladio tried to cry out for help. At this rate he was going to pass out at the damn doctor’s office. 

Gladio felt more than heard the return of someone, based off their footfalls. Flinching slightly when two hands gently touched his face, Gladio managed to open his eyes. There in front of him was Ignis, thank the six. Ignis’ lips were moving but he still couldn’t hear very well. Watching him intently Gladio figured out he was trying help with his breathing. The advisor was taking deep breaths and still had a hold of Gladio’s face. 

Time stretched as Gladio sat on the floor and worked to calm down. Ignis had relocated to sit on the floor next to him and had a hold of his hand. At some point Ravus and Luna had come into the tiny exam room to sit with him. The sight of the oracle and her brother sitting like little kids on the floor was an odd thing to behold. 

For a long time no one said anything until someone else knocked on the door again. Cringing at what was to come, Gladio quickly looked away. It was Ignis that verbally answered, and allowed entry to whoever was there. Stealing a glance Gladio could feel his panic attack returning, it was the doctor again. 

“Gladio, would you be alright if I had a word with your doctor?” Ravus asked as he leaned forward. 

“’Bout what?” Gladio rasped.

“Certain things that might prove to be helpful, if you choose to continue with this visit.” 

Nodding quickly Gladio leaned to the side and rested his head on Ignis’ shoulder, “Don’t say too much.”

“Relax, I’m good at communicating with people, remember?” Ravus commented dryly. 

A smile found its way on Gladio’s face despite the situation, “I still have to talk to your sister about shit don’t I?” 

“What are you going on about?” Luna asked as she scooted closer to hold Gladio’s other hand.

“Men things,” Ravus uttered as he stood and shooed the doctor back out again.

Waiting for the door to close once more Gladio heaved a heavy sigh. “I thought I was getting better,” he admitted glumly. 

“You are getting better,” Luna insisted. “I’m sorry Gladio, but you’ve been through a lot over the past month. Don’t get discouraged.”

“I can sit and listen to people talk about Niflheim without issue. I can watch surveillance footage from across the empire and not bat and eyelash, but dammit I can’t deal with the fucking doctor’s office.” Gladio lamented. 

“Well, I know you’re healthy,” Luna huffed good-naturedly.

“Think you could tell the doctor that?” asked Gladio with hope. Before Luna had the chance to reply someone knocked on the door. “Six save me,” Gladio muttered. 

Ravus poked his head in and smiled, which looked out of place on the normally stoic man, “I’ve had a nice chat with your doctor. I do believe you should give it another go.” 

“He’s not gonna come in here wearing a clown suit is he?”

Ignis groaned at the statement and shook his head, “I’d be forced to summon my daggers if he did, that sounds terrifying.” 

“I’ll try again, but Iggy’s stayin’ with me.”

“Fair enough,” Ravus hummed as he hauled his sister up off the floor. “We will be in the waiting room.” 

Opting to sit on the exam table together, Ignis and he only had to wait another minute before the doctor made a slow and deliberate reappearance. Gladio couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. The doctor had changed and was wearing blue track pants and a bright yellow moogle t shirt.

“Better?” The doctor wagered as he walked in and closed the door.

Oddly enough the simple change had done the trick. The doctor looked almost silly now and it took away the fear. “My boyfriend’s stayin’ so don’t worry about making him blush,” he offered while pointing at Ignis. Gladio was sure Ignis had rolled his eyes at the comment if his sigh was anything to go by. 

The exam went smoothly after that. The doctor announced his intentions before each step of the exam, and patiently waited for Gladio to acknowledge him before proceeding. It wasn’t until the doctor asked about drawing blood that Gladio started to feel his chest tighten. 

Ignis must have sensed his anxiety at the comment and spoke up before he could answer. “I’ve passed my field medic certifications. Might it be possible for me to take the sample for you?”

“Oh, I suppose. We only need enough to do a blood test.” 

Gladio watched as the doctor got everything ready and instructed Ignis on what tools to use. 

“Very good, I’ve everything I need. Are you allowed to leave us alone while I take the sample?” Ignis asked softly.

“Of course, it’s the last part of the exam. Leave the sample on that tray when you’re done, and call me or the nurse over to handle the rest.” 

Ignis nodded and smiled as the doctor left them alone. Turning to face Gladio he cocked an eyebrow, “how do you want me to do this?”

“Don’t let me look,” Gladio offered as he held his arm out. 

“Very well, I’ll do my best.”

Ignis did more than his best; his boyfriend decided that giving him a hicky the size of lestallum would suffice in distracting him. It worked like a charm. Gladio wasn’t sure how Ignis managed to do that while drawing blood from his arm all the same time. No matter, once Ignis announced the deed was done he sighed with relief. Waiting the few seconds for Ignis to properly cap off the syringe was hard, Gladio wanted to hug him like nothing else mattered.

Ignis let Gladio hold him for a good long while as they quietly enjoyed the moment. “We can leave now, you don’t have to stay here any longer.” The advisors muffled voice announced from somewhere near Gladio’s shoulder. 

“Thank you for helping me, I don’t think I could have done it without you.” 

“I’m always here for you, you know that. Don’t forget you can talk to me about anything, should you choose to.” Ignis paused and leaned back to look at Gladio directly. “Only if you want to of course, I don’t wish to force you into anything.”

“Nah, I just don’t want to make you worry about me. I feel bad dragging you and dad through everything that happened to me. It seems like I’d be making you live that nightmare too if I told you.” 

Ignis swallowed thickly and nodded, “of course I respect your decision but I will always be here for you. Don’t worry about what I’ll think; I simply want you to know that I’m here for you.” 

“Thanks babe,” Gladio hummed. “Maybe later we can talk more. You just have to promise to tell me if its too much. I was there and I could hardly deal with it.” 

“Don’t worry I’ll be honest with you about how I’m feeling,” Ignis offered. “Are you ready? Let’s go home and relax.”

Gladio tried hopping off the exam table to leave but ended up tumbling into Ignis arms, “stupid body,” he whined. 

“You couldn’t even walk when you first arrived back,” Ignis chided. “Also, let’s not forget you just had blood drawn.” 

“Yeah, yeah, details, come on you said we were going home.” 

Ignis threw an arm around his waist and led them out into the lobby. The nurse was waiting just outside and quickly went in to retrieve his blood sample. Luna and Ravus were still there with worried looks. 

“I’m good, just a little out of it cause they needed a blood sample.” 

Ravus’ face went noticeable paler at the mention of the drawing blood, “were you alright, with the needle I mean?”

“Iggy saved me and took the sample instead of the doctor.”

“Good,” Ravus sighed. 

Thankfully, no one asked any more questions about his visit, and they all left the office together. 

“We should all have dinner together,” Luna supplied as they waited for the elevator. “It might help normalize things if we hung out more.”

Gladio could tell that Luna was holding something back. He’d not had very many opportunities to talk with Ravus and Luna since his return. Training and meetings about Niflheim were taking up a lot of Gladio’s time. Suddenly worried that they weren’t being treated well Gladio blurted out the first thing on his mind. “Everyone is being nice to you right? You’re not being harassed are you?”

Luna laughed and playfully shoved Gladio in the shoulder, “We have been treated well Gladio, don’t worry about that.”

“Speak for yourself,” Ravus grumbled lowly. 

“That doesn’t count,” Luna huffed.

“What doesn’t count, what’s going on?” Gladio tried, he was now worried something was going on that he’d not been told about.

“Luna is the oracle so she gets treated differently than I do,” Ravus shrugged, “I’m the enemy.” 

“I’ve been over this with you!” Luna all but yelled as they stepped onto the elevator. “You’re not the enemy.”

Ravus chose not to answer and smashed the button for the ground floor instead. Waiting to see if Ravus would add anything more Gladio began to wonder what kind of things were happening around the citadel. 

“Has someone been giving you trouble, cause I can talk to m—,”

“I appreciate the effort Gladio but I’m afraid some things simply take time.” Ravus interrupted.

“Who?” Gladio demanded, “we didn’t go through hell of escaping Niflheim just for kicks. If somebody has a bone to pick then they better believe its gonna be with all of us.” 

Ravus seemed surprised by his outburst but remained tight lipped. Luna however, didn’t share the same feeling as her brother and quickly spoke up. “Some of the council members don’t like it when Ravus comes with me when I meet with the king.” 

Sighing loudly Gladio curled his lip in disgust. “Okay I sorta can’t help with that, but I’ve got enough dirt to fill a stadium on all of them. Tell me who it is and I’ll set you up for life. They’ll still sneer and make comments but you can at least say somethin’ back that’ll make em think twice the next time.”

“What kind of dirt?” Ravus asked with a furrowed brow. “Are we talking military or personal secrets here?” 

“Oh I got a bunch of stu--,”

“Love, this conversation might be better suited in private.” Ignis offered as the elevator doors dinged open.

“Oh right, yeah, good point,” Gladio laughed sheepishly. “But yeah, you and I can sit outside the council chambers one afternoon. When they all come out I’ll tell you everything you’ll ever need to know.”

Ravus nodded and pursed his lips together, “yes that will work, for now,” he agreed as they piled out into the lobby.

“Seriously, did you two just decide that name calling was the best way to handle this?” Luna asked in disbelief.

“I can’t very well stab them now can I?” Ravus asked with a smirk. 

“Oh my stars, stop it, don’t even joke about that!” Luna wailed. 

“Perhaps we can arrange to have dinner later this week Lady Lunafreya,” Ignis piped up.

“It’s Luna, you don’t have to use my title Ignis. Please, just call me Luna.”

“As you wish,” Ignis added with a slight bow.

Gladio could see Luna blushing. Ignis knew how to get people to react when he talked with them. It was a special talent he had. Hugging Ignis close as they walked down the corridor Gladio felt better already. “Can we all do dinner later?” Gladio reiterated. “It’d be nice to see you both in a more comfortable setting.”

“Oh, I’d love that!” Luna exclaimed. “Perhaps Noct could join us.”

Ravus groaned and rolled his eyes, “was this just an excuse to have a meet up with your prince?”

“Ravus, be nice.” Luna scolded.

“Maybe, he did display an admirable level of fortitude when he chased the car down upon our arrival.” 

Luna had started to mock Ravus mid-sentence, and was still poorly lip syncing next to him. “Admirable, fortitude, yes, yes, so brave,” she continued with a deep voice. 

Gladio couldn’t help but bark out a laugh at the sight. “So ah do you want to have dinner tomorrow?”

“I’ll have to check my schedule,” Ravus deadpanned, “I’m terribly busy these days.” 

“Okay children, enough. Gladio needs to rest and I’ve got a meeting to prepare for,” Luna sighed. 

“I’ll double check our schedules,” Ignis added as they parted ways. 

Gladio was still leaning on Ignis as they walked outside and over to the car. “That was only supposed to be an afternoon appointment and I feel like we’ve spent the whole day there.” Ignis breathed out as he unlocked the car. 

“Sorry, I sort--.”

“Nope, you don’t get to apologize for anything,” Ignis replied vehemently. “You were clearly in distress, and that isn’t anyone’s fault besides those bastards in Niflheim.” 

“Thanks for coming with me; I don’t think I could have handled that alone.” 

“I’m proud of you for facing your fears. Despite what you may think, you are getting better,” Ignis reminded him gently as they got in and started the drive home. 

“So did you mean what you said earlier?” Gladio checked. “About me telling you more.”

“Yes, but only if you feel comfortable.”

“I think its time, I’ve been doing good talking to the therapist and I think I’m ready to share more. It might help me heal faster.” 

Ignis quickly looked over at him with the most heart achingly, sweet expression, Gladio had ever seen on the man. “Are you sure you’re okay with that, love?”

Nodding Gladio took a deep breath and relaxed into the seat. He was ready for this, he’d wanted to tell Ignis everything but he’d been afraid of what he would think. Finally free of his worry Gladio reached over squeezed Ignis’ knee. “Thanks for being there for me, not just today but the entire time babe.”

“I suppose if we are going to be sharing stories this evening I can enlighten you on our plan to rescue you.” 

“Yes!” Gladio hollered, “sorry, dad won’t tell me and Cor just keeps saying it wasn’t anything major.” 

Ignis hummed and smiled coyly, “yes, well I’ll be curious to know your thoughts on the matter once I’ve told you.”

After a moment of silence Gladio saw a little girl on the street holding a stuffed moogle, which triggered a vision of his doctor. “Hey that doctor looked so funny in a moogle shirt, right?” he blurted.

“That he did, I’m thankful Ravus was there to help. I’m sure after we talk tonight I’ll have a better understanding of what he may have said to the man.” 

Gladio sobered quickly at the memory. “There were lots of people in lab coats where I was being held.” 

“Ah, hence the wardrobe change.”

“Exactly.”

“Let’s order some food in and eat in your room,” Ignis suggested. 

“I’d like that.”

“If things get too heavy we can watch a movie instead.” 

Gladio agreed and zoned out for the remainder of the trip home. He and Ignis nearly made it to his room without incident, but Iris just had to go and ask about the huge bruise on his neck. She assumed the doctor had done something to him and Gladio was tempted to let her believe it. Ignis had simply smiled at his sister and strolled on ahead, to his room. 

Iris finally accepted his unbelievable tale about the stethoscope getting stuck to his neck. His excuse being, it’d acted like a suction cup. She shook her head and sighed loudly. Thinking she’d call him out on his terrible lie, she hugged him instead. With a few words about being more careful at the doctor’s she turned and left. 

Ignis had already ordered food by the time he made to his bedroom. Falling on the bed Gladio let his mind go numb as Ignis massaged his scalp. He knew Ignis would wake him when the food arrived, and as far as he was concerned he’d earned a little break. 


	10. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio, Ignis and Noct have dinner with the Nox Fluerets. What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quietly sneaks in, drops this and runs.
> 
> Also, want to give a shout out to [ Mary_Rae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mary_Rae?lang=en) for helping me beta some stuff with this fic. They were very helpful in getting past some serious writer's block!

Gladio hadn’t expected an all-out shouting match between Ravus and Luna during dinner. Things had started off well enough given who was in attendance. Noct had been invited to their little get-together and it was obvious that Ravus wasn’t happy about it. However, that wasn’t what the argument was over. He could curse his stupid brain sometimes. Gladio had foolishly lamented the lack of a plan against the empire during the last course. This in turn set the gears in motion for what was going on right now. 

Ravus was convinced Luna factored into the empires' plans and he felt they should be doing more to ensure her safety. Luna on the other hand figured they were in the safest place they could be. Behind a magical barrier. She was more concerned for Noct, who was sitting shock still and biting his lip with worry. The prince had tried a few times to butt into the conversation but Ravus cut him off every single time. 

Gladio really needed to sit down and talk to Luna about her brother. She knew how to press his buttons something fierce. He was surprised they’d lasted this long without blowing up at each other. Ignis had even stopped trying to interject, and he was used to dealing with pushy councilmembers.

Waiting for a small break so he could try and add his opinion never came to fruition. Gladio watched in disbelief as Ravus slammed his fist on the table and yelled loudly. Without another word he got up and stormed out. Unsure if he should follow or not he looked to Luna and winced at the sight, she was crying. Noct, though not yet well versed in matters of the heart was by her side in an instant. 

Looking back to Ignis he threw his hands up helplessly. Gladio had no idea what he should do. “Should I go after him?” he asked softly so only Ignis would hear him, which wasn’t hard given the sobs coming from the other side of the table. 

“You can try but don’t push too hard,” Ignis offered in a hushed tone. 

“Call me if something else happens,” he whispered before getting up and going out to try and find Ravus. He wasn’t sure if the man had left the suite or was sulking somewhere nearby. It appeared luck was on Gladio’s side when he spied the French doors open in the sitting room. Taking a deep breath he slowly approached and announced his presence. Ravus was a fighter he didn’t want to get run through for moving too fast.

“Ravus, don’t stab me or anything, can we talk?” he ventured. Nothing but silence followed his question. Maybe he wasn’t out on the balcony. Sighing heavily Gladio trudged over to the doors and poked his head out. Honestly, the sight that greeted him made his breath hitch. Ravus was indeed out on the balcony, and he looked like he was crying. Nothing like his sister, but the guy was displaying emotions other than a permanent scowl. 

Unsure of whether he should stay or not Gladio began slowly back away, “sorry for disturbing you, I just wanted --.”

“Why doesn’t she understand,” Ravus hissed, “I can’t lose her. Not after what –what happened with mother.” 

Instantly feeling guilty for having never made time to talk with Luna, Gladio ducked his head in shame. “Sorry for not helping, I know you asked me to talk to your sister, I’ve not made time.”

“This isn’t your fault Gladio,” Ravus huffed. “Our lives have been seriously fucked up for a while. Also, not your fault!” Ravus cut in quickly. “I agree with you now, the sins of the father shouldn’t be put on the son.”

“Uh,” Gladio was little lost for words. The last time they’d talked Ravus didn’t sound like he’d be changing his mind about that topic anytime soon. “Why?” he asked in confusion. “I mean you seemed pretty set on your feelings earlier.”

Ravus shook his head in frustration. “I’ve seen how he acts; it’s nothing like his father. He tries to play the part of the prince, but he’s still so young.”

Gladio could only nod in response, he was speechless. Ravus didn’t hate Noct. 

“I wonder what he would have done if it had happened to him if he’d been in Regis’ place when the empire attacked Tenebrae,” Ravus asked with a somber tone.

“He’d have probably tried to fight back, I just don’t know if he would have succeeded.” Gladio lamented with a sigh.

“I would like to think the same, though as you’ve told me before, staying to fight most likely wouldn’t have gone very well.”

“We are still no closer to coming up with a way to defeat the empire. According to everything you, Aranea, and Loqi have told us, there’s an army out there growing by the minute. Its just a matter of time before they come knocking on our door wanting to pick a fight.”

“Yes, well at least we don’t have to go through that awful charade of trying to marry my sister off to Noct. If the emperor comes a calling, do not open the door.” Ravus huffed. 

“Easy for you to say, not having a plan in place is sorta driving me nuts,” Gladio admitted. 

“Why are you so obsessed with a plan? Having one doesn’t mean you’ll win.”

“True, but it would at least give me a false sense of hope until the time comes.”

“Are you quite alright?” Ravus checked as he turned to face Gladio fully. “You have been doing nothing but telling me we are going to win, we haven’t got a choice. The empire cannot claim victory! Yet, here you stand looking nervous.” 

“I have no clue what they want Ravus, aside from us all just simply vanishing into thin air. I can’t figure out their game plan, even after knowing about the army of metal men they’re mass-producing.”

“They want the crystal, plain and simple Gladio, I’ve gone over this with you before in the pas--.”

“No! There has to be more,” Gladio spit out. “I can’t help but feel there is something we are missing. Why just the crystal, they can’t use it so why try?”

“This is the same group of people that attempted to turn you into,” Ravus paused and pursed his lips in thought. “Honestly, I don’t know what they were doing to you but it wasn’t good. The ways of the gods don’t matter to them. Power is all they care about.”

“We should strike first,” Gladio grumbled. “I hate waiting.”

Ravus hummed and wiped his eyes forcefully. “I suppose I should try and talk with Luna.”

“Yeah, she was pretty upset when you stormed off. I get it you’re angry and all, but she’s just trying to do her part as your sister and the oracle.”

“I’m aware of that, but how do I tell her she’s not allowed to die or be self-sacrificing. I can’t bear the thought of anything else bad happening to her.”

Gladio was about to respond when a soft sniffle from behind caused him to whip around. Luna was standing there puffy-eyed, and hugging herself. “You – you could say it just like that,” She managed softly.

In a heartbeat, Ravus had jumped up and run to his sister. They didn’t exchange any words, Ravus merely folded Luna into his arms and stood silent. At least they weren’t going to be shouting at each other anymore. Reaching out he gently punched Ravus in the shoulder and left. What a freaking night they’d all had. Returning to the dining room revealed an equally puffy-eyed prince sitting in his seat. Deciding not to comment on that detail Gladio instead walked over and hauled Noct out of his seat. 

The prince protested at first until he understood what Gladio was doing. Getting trapped by your shield in a bone-crushing hug wasn’t something Noct ever asked for, but Gladio could tell he needed one. They stood like that for a few minutes until Noct released a long breath and relaxed slightly. Pushing his ward away gently Gladio offered him a smile. “That was intense wasn’t it?”

“No shit,” Noct scoffed but he was smiling at least. 

“Did Luna find you both?” Ignis asked once they’d stepped back.

“Yeah, she’s working stuff out I think. It’s gonna get better now, or at least I’m hoping it is.”

“I suppose we should all take our leave, I would imagine they have much to discuss and our presence isn’t necessarily needed.”

They all agreed and hastily made a retreat to the relative quiet of the corridor. Gladio felt unsettled, he still had no answers. The fight earlier had drained his energy; all he wanted to do now was fall into bed.

“Do you wanna come over and watch a movie or something?” Noct asked with a pout. “I’m tired but I can’t sleep right now.” 

Ignis sighed and walked over to rub Noct’s shoulders. “Yes, I can attest to that feeling. This evening didn’t exactly go as planned. What do you think Gladio, are you up for relaxing on Noct’s couch?”

“So long as you don’t mind me snoring through whatever movie you end up picking.”

Noct smiled and attempted to laugh but it fell flat. Gladio suspected he wanted the company more than the movie. Ignis drove them all over to Noct’s. None of them spoke aside from Noct asking if they could make popcorn for the movie. Despite the prince saying he couldn’t sleep, he was the first one to pass out on the sofa.

“Should we move him?” Gladio asked.

“He’s fine let him rest. We can finish the movie or nap if you’d prefer.”

“Let’s cuddle and watch the film.” Staying awake was hard and after ten minutes Gladio could feel sleep calling. Pulling Ignis close he toppled them sideways and grabbed a blanket from the back of the sofa. “Looks like we’re all camping out here tonight.”

Ignis hummed noncommittally he already had his eyes closed and was well on his way to dreamland. 

Following suit was easy enough; Gladio didn’t really want to dwell on the conversation at dinner any longer. Things had to get better; they had to find a way to beat the empire. Shoving the thought aside he shut his eyes and hugged Ignis closer. Sleeping on the couch wasn’t ideal but he felt safe. If Noct woke up in the middle of the night he’d have them there. That’s what mattered. Sighing heavily Gladio finally allowed his mind to shut off and he drifted off.

* * *

\--

Despite sleeping all night on Noct’s sofa Gladio felt rested. The day went on like any other, once he’d gone home to change and shower. It was back to building up his strength in the training room and attending debriefing meetings about their non-existent Niflheim plan. However, as he sat waiting for their most recent meeting to start Gladio started to worry. 

Ravus and Luna were meant to attend this meeting but they were late. Did they talk all night and were still asleep? It seemed unlikely since it was nearly four in the afternoon. Though, as time drug on he pulled out his phone to text Ravus. He sat and stared at his phone for a few minutes hoping to get a reply but nothing came through.

“Should we wait? Or cancel the meeting?” Cor asked as he looked around the room. 

“I’ve sent guards around to their suite to see if they are inside.” Nyx supplied as he pulled out his phone. “I’ll call the head office and see if they found anything.” The soldier stepped away and began talking quietly.

“Gladio, didn’t you see them last night?” Clarus checked while scanning his phone. 

“Yeah, we all had dinner in their suite; Ravus and Luna were both there when we left at around ten-thirty.”

Nyx came back over to the table with a worried look, “They aren’t there. The head office is reviewing the logs to see if anyone left during the night. I’m waiting for a callback.”

“You think they left?” Gladio asked in shock. “But why? Nothing happened with the empire did it?”

“Not that we know of, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have special intelligence on something else we don’t,” his father sighed.

“Hey, they’ve been upfront with us since we arrived. Don’t think like that.” Gladio huffed.

“We have to take every possible scenario into consideration Gladio.”

Nyx answered his phone distracting Gladio briefly. He didn’t want to fight with his dad right now but Luna wouldn’t do anything bad, he knew it. Ravus was more of a question but based on what he’d said last night it seemed like he was seeing things differently. 

“That was the office, a car left at two this morning. The footage isn’t great but it’s clear that it was Ravus and Lunafreya.”

“What car did he take? Maybe it has a tracker?” Gladio asked quickly.

Nyx shook his head no, “Ravus was smart he nicked an older impounded car from the garage. We can’t track it.” 

“What direction did the car go?” Gladio tried instead as he unlocked his phone and called Ravus.

“West side of the city, after that I have no idea.”

Focusing back on his phone Gladio prayed Ravus would answer. Why in the hell had they left? It didn’t make any sense, Luna felt safe here.” The call never connected and eventually, the line went dead since there was no voice mail setup. “I have to talk to Ignis and Noct about this.” Rushing up out of his seat Gladio was startled when his father’s booming voice reached his ears.

“Gladiolus! We need to come up with a game plan before you run off. Sit down.” 

Clenching his phone tightly Gladio worked hard not to yell back at his father. Now was not the time to be sitting around. “We’ve been dawdling this whole time tryin’ to come up with a plan. We need to find them before the empire attacks.”

“We don’t know that the empire will attack us here.”

“Doesn’t matter, I’m done sitting around waiting for something to happen. We need to act!” Turning to leave Gladio ignored his father’s shouts and continued on ahead. Taking his phone out he called Ignis, he knew the man was in another meeting but this was important. The phone had barely rung when footsteps behind him made him tense up. Expecting his father Gladio was surprised to see Cor approaching with a look of fury.

“Don’t do that to the man, we’d thought you’d died.”

Sighing in frustration Gladio wavered in place. He didn’t want to cause more trouble but he was sick and tired of how things were going. “I’m tired of waiting, why don’t we know how to beat them yet?” Gladio groaned.

“Kid, I wish I knew the answer to that, but we are trying our damnedest to figure it out. Running off to rally your personal army won’t help right now. We need to be coordinated.”

It was at this moment that Ignis actually answered his phone. “Gladio, I’m in a meeting is this important?” Ignis asked softly, it was obvious he’d stepped away to answer the call.

“Luna and Ravus ran away,” Gladio replied with a sigh. “I gotta go but I wanted you to know right away. Make sure Noct doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“Understood, he’s with me so I’ll keep an eye on his highness. Gladio?” Ignis paused.

“Yeah?”

“Take a deep breath you need to calm down I can hear the stress in your voice.”

Laughing lightly at the comment Gladio did as he was instructed. “I’ll be in touch soon, I’m reviewing our options with dad.” 

“Very well, stay calm, we will figure this out together.”

“Kay, be safe.”

“You as well,” Ignis offered then in a very low voice he added ‘love you’ and hung up the phone.

“Is he gonna yell at me?” Gladio asked with a frown as he pocketed his phone once more.

“Maybe, but he’s hot-headed like someone else I know.” Cor quipped as he pulled Gladio into his side for a one-armed hug. “Come on, the sooner we talk the sooner we can act.”

“Ignis said he’d keep an eye out on Noct to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid.”

“Good, let’s get back; time is wasting as you so aptly pointed out.”

Clarus and Nyx were reviewing security footage when he returned, neither one looked up until he’d sat down. 

“We have requested footage from other cameras in the area, we are trying to find out if they left the city or not,” Nyx explained after a moment of awkward silence.

“Do you think they would stay in Insomnia or leave?” Clarus asked in a tone that Gladio recognized. The man was upset and trying to hide it. 

“Sorry I got worked up. I’m – I’m tired of this and it’s barely even begun.” Gladio admitted.

Clarus’ expression eased somewhat and the tension in his shoulders had lessened. “I understand that Gladio, but we all need to work together right now.”

“Noct’s gonna want to go after her, we need to address that first.” He suggested as he rolled his chair closer to watch the footage. 

“Well he can’t, I’m assuming you’d stop him correct?”

“He’s my prince and future king, and sometimes he uses that position to his advantage.”

“Gladio makes a good point, he’s going to want to look. We may need to figure out a way to do that but on our terms.”

“You can’t seriously be suggesting that the crown prince go out in a search party are you?” Clarus asked Cor dumbfounded. “The last time he left the safety of the city we were ambushed, along with my son getting captured.”

“I understand that Clarus, but we need to consider all avenues.”

“It sounds like you have an idea already?” 

“He has his arms trials still to complete does he not?” Cor questioned calmly.

“No,” Clarus cut in, “not happening.”

“Instead of the standard guard, we used to send this time we bring an army with us. Aranea and Loqi can help too, that way we will be better prepared.”

Gladio watched his dad’s face carefully. It was clear that Clarus knew he was going to lose this battle purely based on his expression. Thinking fast Gladio added something that might move the topic ahead. “Maybe if Noct goes on this trip for the royal arms, it might force a move from the empire, but this time we’ll be ready for them.” He wasn’t exactly sure what he meant by ‘ready’ but Gladio knew they needed to do something versus waiting. 

“That isn’t a good idea, at all,” Clarus growled. “Will he actually try to attempt any trials while on this charade?”

“No, it’s simply a cover story. Gladio is right Noct will not stop until he’s allowed to help.”

“Gods save me,” Clarus grumbled. “I hate this idea and I personally won’t be the one to tell Regis about it, that’s on you.” He added with a menacing finger pointed towards Cor. The man will not take a liking to sending his only begotten son out into the world like a sitting duck.”

The idea was crazy, Gladio knew it but they had to think of something. Otherwise, Noct would sneak out, and then they’d all be screwed. Hunkering down for a long discussion Gladio offered up his take on what Noct would do. Time was running out and they had to act fast.


	11. Played

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are set in motion for another showdown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting but I'm getting back into the groove with the fic so hopefully things will pick up again soon. Thanks for sticking with me.

The last thing any of them expected was Noct’s sheepish reaction at being told the news of Luna’s departure. Gladio had assumed the prince would yell and demand they go after her. Instead, Noct didn’t utter a word. He stayed glued to his seat and stared at the floor. Shit, they’d missed something in translation here; Noct should have been railing to rally the troops. 

After several long minutes of terrible silence, Ignis took a guess as to what was going on. “Highness, did you help them leave?” he asked with a knowing look. Leave it to Ignis to crack the case. The look on Noct’s face spoke volumes, he still refused to make eye contact, but it was clear he’d done just as Ignis had suggested.

Groaning in frustration, Gladio wished they’d waited to have their ‘planning meeting’ so it would have included Iggy. They’d wasted time trying to think ahead only to be thrown right back to square one. “Noct, where are they going?”

This time the prince had something to say, “I dunno,” he spat out. “Away from here and away from the empire, that’s all I know.”

The next hour was fraught with emotion as they all tried to figure out where Luna and Ravus had gone. It became obvious that Noct was telling the truth, he didn’t know and didn’t want to. Gladio supposed Noct’s reasoning had been if he didn’t know, he couldn’t tell no matter how hard he was questioned. Stepping out of the room for a moment Gladio tried to clear his head. If they were seeking safety from the empire, where would they go? No place came to mind. In an act of sheer frustration, he pulled out his phone and texted Ravus.

 **Gladiolus Amicitia 7:39pm:** _I’ll never forgive myself if you or Luna dies. You got me involved and now you think you can just run away. That’s a shitty move.”_

Without re-reading his message Gladio hit send in a fit of rage. He was angry at having missed the signs last night and again, not being able to do a damn thing to help. Why was he constantly being thrust into situations where he had no control over anything? What kind of special punishment was this?

“Gladio, is everything alright?” A voice asked from behind.

Turning revealed Ignis standing just outside the doorway to the meeting room with a concerned look. “I’m just pissed, we can’t seem to catch a break,” he growled.

“Perhaps if we regrouped and --.”

“We’ve regrouped already, and it didn’t help, Iggy. Noct isn’t even on our side, which is screwed up when you think about it.”

“Now, now, there is no need to question Noct’s part in this, he was only doing what he felt was right.”

“Helping them leave? How is that a good thing, how does that help? They could get captured by the empire and be killed!” Gladio exclaimed. He could feel his blood pumping faster just thinking about that scenario. “They tried to turn me into a daemon, what do you think they’ll do to them if they get caught?”

“Love, calm down, I know you’re frustrated but this isn’t going to solve matters,” Ignis tried as he walked closer.

“Nothing I’ve done has helped!” he bellowed. “I got captured like an idiot and set off a chain of events that has resulted in this clusterfuck. Gods, why the hell am I so freaking useless?!” After the words left his mouth Gladio shut down. He didn’t want to talk anymore, there was nothing else left to do. Stepping back and away from Ignis he shook his head, enough was enough.

Without any further explanation he turned and left, he needed to escape this nightmare. Ignis called after him but he ignored it. Everyone else had been allowed to run from their problems, now it was his turn.

However, his defiant streak didn’t last long. In the time it took Gladio to walk outside, to a quiet corner of the gardens, the guilt at having behaved like a child caught up to him. Today sucked so badly, he should’ve stayed home. Sighing in defeat at his own foolishness Gladio dug out his phone. He could at least call Ignis and apologize for leaving.

Ignis answered but didn’t immediately talk to him, “Yes, it’s Gladio, hold on one moment.” He uttered before his voice got louder. “Please tell me you’ve not skipped town as well.” Ignis chided.

“No, sorry, I’m acting like an asshole.” Gladio supplied before slipping into silence once more.

“We are all stressed, might you be willing to come back so we can continue?”

“I can’t, I – I need some time. It’s not like we can do anything else about Luna and Ravus. They’re gone.”

Ignis was silent for a beat, “You make it sound as if they are already dead.”

“They might as well be! We can’t protect them now.” Gladio sputtered. 

“You don’t know that.”

“Maybe, but it doesn’t matter at the moment.” Humming thoughtfully in response Ignis took a deep breath but remained quiet. Gladio could tell he was stressing the advisor out. “Sorry, I know you don’t need me actin’ like a fool on top of everything else right now.”

“As I said before, we are all stressed. Perhaps, I could come to sit with you?”

“I think I’d be shitty company, but I’m in our spot in the gardens.”

“Very good, I’ll be there shortly,” Ignis said before hanging up.

Left again with his own destructive thoughts, Gladio couldn’t help but worry about Luna and Ravus. After everything they’d been through, he owed it to them to secure their wellbeing.

Plopping down on the grass Gladio leaned forward cradling his head in his hands. He had to calm down and think. Being a big mope wasn’t going to solve anything. A buzzing noise caught his attention a second later, thinking it was Ignis calling Gladio pulled his phone out. The caller id was blocked. A small part of his brain desperately hoped it was either Ravus or Luna but he knew that was too good to be true.

Answering the call quickly Gladio almost fumbled the phone out of his shaking fingers and into the grass. “Hello?”

“Are you always in the habit of sending rude text messages?” Ravus clipped voice asked.

“Are you two alright?!” Gladio blurted. He knew Ravus wouldn’t tell him shit so he could at least make sure they were safe.

“Same as we were last night.”

“Thank the six,” he breathed.

“What? That’s it, you send me a nasty text and then thank the astrals we’re not in ill health?” Ravus questioned gruffly.

“Like I could say anything that would make you come back,” Gladio scoffed. “I may miss some things Ravus, but not I’m not that stupid.”

“To my knowledge you’ve not missed anything Gladiolus.”

“Damn, full name status. Guess us Lucians screwed up real bad this time.”

“Stop acting like a child,” Ravus huffed. “I’m traveling with one already,” he added in a hushed tone.

“Sorry, I shoulda tried to talk to her but I thought I had more time,” Gladio lamented.

“It’s not your job to help my sister understand my viewpoint on things. I’m not sure she’d ever believe you anyway.”

“I’m pissed at Noct cause of you,” Gladio threw in for good measure.

“Oh don’t blame me for that one; my lovely sister handled our escape.”

“Seriously?! You were okay staying?”

“I can’t say I especially liked it, but I do feel like it was a safer choice.”

Gladio was about to respond when he heard Luna shouting in the background. Well, it was more like whining but she still wasn’t happy. “Did I just get you in trouble?”

“Nonsense, I’ve always been in trouble. Don’t worry yourself about that one.”

“We’re both a right pair of idiots, aren’t we?” Gladio sighed.

“Now, I’m not following you, why are you an idiot?” Ravus questioned.

“I’ve screwed everything up since day one, I got captured, turned the empire against you, lost the oracle, should I continue?”

Ravus took a deep breath over the phone and cleared his throat before replying. “Gladiolus, you got captured because you saved your prince. The empire turned against me because _I_ made the choice to leave them,” he paused and sighed heavily. “Luna does what she wants, so please don’t think that us leaving is any reflection on you.” 

Luna, again, made a noise in the background, but this time she came close enough to be heard clearly. “What does he think?” she asked with concern.

“He feels responsible for you running away,” Ravus explained calmly.

“No, no, no, that’s not true at all, give me the phone.” After a brief pause, Luna’s voice was crystal clear. “Gladio, you can’t think any of this is your fault. I needed to get away to protect you all.”

That wasn’t what Gladio was expecting to hear. “What do you mean protect us? We’re supposed to be watching over you.”

“No, there’s more to this than just the armies and the emperor. There is another evil at play that we’ve not accounted for.” 

Distracted for a moment when Ignis suddenly appeared by his side Gladio motioned for the man to sit as he pointed to his phone. Pulling Ignis close cued him in that Gladio wanted him to listen as well. Nervous to put the phone on speaker in case it spooked Luna, Gladio continued. “What do you mean another evil? That sounds ominous.”

“It is, I’m afraid Niflheim has discovered an ancient power.”

“What? We need to research this so we can figure out how to beat it.”

“No, you don’t understand Gladio, it’s not what it’s a who.” Luna corrected.

“One man can’t be that difficult to beat, who is it?” Gladio asked nervously.

“I have reason to believe Niflheim has discovered adagium.”

Gladio had no idea what Luna was talking about, but Ignis flinched and had gone pale. “Luna, this doesn’t sound good at all, please come back so we come up with a plan of attack.”

“Trust me, this is the best way.”

“Luna I don’t thin--.” Gladio’s words died into thin air as the phone line disconnected. “Luna! No!” he shouted. Dammit, why was he always left trying to pick up the pieces? “Who the hell is adagium?!” he demanded reaching out and grabbing Ignis’ arm. 

Ignis still looked rattled and was trying to come up with something to say. “I believe we may need to speak with the king. What little I do know has never been told to me directly.”

That confused Gladio even more. “Come on, let’s get Noct as well.”

“Aren’t you still mad at him?”

“Yeah I’m pissed but we got a lead, this is more than we’ve had since I got back. We need to figure out who this dude is and see if we can find Luna.”

\--

* * *

Gladio wasn’t sure he wanted to hear anymore. How the heck had this been forgotten? A crazy man had stormed Insomnia nearly twenty years ago and no one knew?! The ensuing calamity and minor destruction had ended up in the history books, but it’d simply been attributed to Ifrit going rogue. The truth behind the tale was shocking and hard to believe.

However, the thing that was even harder to swallow was the reason why the king had lied about the attack in the first place. Gladio felt like his world was falling apart. He wasn’t mad at Noct anymore, far from it. He wished he could take away his friend's pain, but there was nothing he could do. Noct had a prophecy to fulfill, a fairly grim one from what Gladio could gather.

Though, Gladio still didn’t know the details, as he’d been asked to leave along with everyone else so Regis could talk with his son. Remembering his father’s adamant declaration that Regis wouldn’t be happy to send Noct out of the city again, Gladio wondered if that was why. No wonder he’d gotten so upset earlier.

Now, as he sat outside the king’s office waiting for any kind of update Gladio felt truly lost. Things had gotten so out of hand. The sound of footsteps approached caused him to look up. Aranea and Loqi were coming and they didn’t look happy. 

“We heard something bad had happened, how can we help?” Aranea announced as they came to a halt in front Clarus.

“I’m not sure what you could do at this point. The prince is with his father at the moment and I’m not going to interrupt that meeting.” Clarus supplied.

“What about Ravus and Luna? Can we go get them? I’ve got my drop ship at the ready.” Aranea offered. 

“I’m afraid you’d be wasting gas, we’ve no idea where they headed off to.”

“I put a tracker in Ravus’ sword, I can find him.” Aranea supplied like it was nothing.

“When did you do that?!” Gladio growled before his father could respond.

“Ages ago, when I didn’t know where his loyalties lied.”

“And you think he’s not discovered it yet?” Clarus asked in disbelief.

“He’s smart but I’m smarter, so I’ll ask again. Do you want me to go get him?”

“Yes!” Gladio blurted, “They’re not safe and Luna’s rambling about evil people and Noct’s--,” Gladio trailed off not willing to say anything more. The news that his friend and prince had to die to save them all was not an easy pill to swallow. There had to be something they could do to stop all of this.

Aranea looked a little shocked at the outburst but remained silent. It seemed she was looking between Clarus and him waiting for a more direct answer.

“I can’t stop you should you decide to go look for them,” Clarus added a second later.

“You can’t stop me taking Loqi with me either, can you?”

Clarus simply shook his head, but he didn’t look the least bit angry about it.

“I’m going with you!” Gladio huffed as he stood quickly. “I can’t let you two go out there alone without backup.”

“Who are we keeping an eye out for?” Loqi asked with concern.

“From what I’ve gathered, it’s a man named Ardyn Izunia or Ardyn Lucis Caelum.” Clarus announced somberly.

“I knew that idiot was bad news!” Aranea angrily spit out. “He always gave me the creeps.”

“Ardyn is the bad guy?” Loqi scoffed. “He’s just one of the emperor's puppets from what I could tell.” 

“I think you may have that backward sweetie. Remember, no one ever knew where he came from. Plus, the fact that he hung out with Versteal so much was always a red flag. We gotta get a move on if he’s involved.”

Gladio moved to follow Aranea and Clarus held out his hand. “Whoa there, aren’t you forgetting your duties?”

“Rescuing me got Luna caught up in all this, I need to see this through.”

“You have an oath to uphold to Noctis if I’m not mistaken.”

“If I don’t help put a stop to this now, Noct won’t be alive for me protect, dad,” Gladio replied sadly. That comment seemed to halt Clarus in his tracks. He waivered and lowered his hand after taking a long breath.

“I need more time to think on this.”

“I’m leaving in thirty minutes, whoever shows up gets to come along,” Aranea announced before walking away with Loqi by her side. 

“Dad, I have to help. If we can bring Luna and Ravus back we can talk more about how to beat this Ardyn guy.” Clarus barely imperceptible head nod was all Gladio needed to see to know he’d succeeded. 

“I’ll keep watch over the king and Noctis. I have a feeling Regis isn’t going to want to part ways with his son anytime soon.”

“I’ll let you know when we’ve found them and are on our way back.” Gladio sighed in relief, thankful that he’d been given the go-ahead to proceed. Turning to his boyfriend Gladio tried to think of what he could say. He’d only just come back and now he was leaving again. “Iggy – I –I.”

“You two can talk more on the ride in the dropship.” Clarus cut in as he began to herd them down the hall together.

“What?”

“I’m not letting you go out there alone!” Clarus all but yelled. “Ignis do what you can and I expect a full report when you get back.” His father pulled him into a tight embrace. When they pulled apart Gladio was greeted with a watery smile. “I have faith you in son.” He added before turning to go back into Regis’ office.

“I need to grab some things from the training room,” Ignis cut in quietly. “We’d best hurry.”

“Yeah, for sure, uh--,” Gladio stalled out not knowing what else to say. Ignis reassuring grip on his arm was the only thing that got him moving a second later. They had a mission to do. Find Ravus and Luna and bring them back.


	12. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio and co. go to bring Luna and Ravus back. Someone doesn't want them to leave just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!!! Here have another chapter, though I'm not sure anyone is actually reading this thing anymore. Anywho, I'll be working to finish things up in a few more chapters.  
> If anyone reads this, hope you enjoy. :)

“There is no way they are hiding here,” Loqi sighed as Aranea maneuvered the dropship into place.

“Unless he removed the tracker then this is it.”

Looking out the window Gladio could see the structure in question. It was some sort of old concrete bunker. Suddenly worried that he’d been tricked Gladio glanced around to see how he could escape if need be. The place they were about to visit was clearly an old Niflheim military complex. It wasn’t in their territory but it was close enough to make him nervous. They’d already alerted the citadel to their location just in case, but they’d still be at least a half a day away. 

As if he’d read his mind Ignis appeared by his side with a concerned look, “Perhaps we shouldn’t all go at once, in case it’s a trap.”

“This place is abandoned, don’t worry about it,” Aranea huffed. “Nothing scary is gonna pop out and getcha.”

“They have to know we are here, right?” Loqi pressed as he reached for his weapon. 

“No clue kiddo, but I suppose we’ll find out soon enough. So, who goes first?”

Gladio was pretty resolute that neither he nor Ignis was going. Ignis didn’t fight him for once. Though, it seemed his opinion didn’t matter much anyway. Aranea had been planning on going first the whole time. She’d merely asked the question to bait Loqi into demanding he stay aboard and guard her ship. Gladio wasn’t sure Loqi had figured that bit out yet; he was still stomping around complaining about Ravus and Luna running off in the first place.

Aranea grabbed her polearm and with little fanfare exited the dropship and trudged over to the main entrance. She was quick to enter the building and then they could only wait as she checked it out. Her radio remained silent as the minutes ticked by. If something bad had happened then they weren’t aware of it. 

Then, radio static erupted over the comms causing Gladio to flinch. Aranea’s broken voice sounded out and announced simply that she’d found them. The line went dead after that and the three men were left looking to each other for instructions.

“Should we go in after her?” Loqi asked with a furrowed brow. “She’s never specific, it drives me crazy.”

Ignis sighed through his nose in a way that meant he was getting annoyed. “We can always ask her,” he supplied before opening the radio line once more. “We’re coming in,” he announced firmly. Loqi went to cut him off but Ignis raised his hand to silence him. “She’ll tell us othe--.”

“Coming out, don’t waste your time,” Aranea’s clipped voice interrupted a second later. 

“See,” Ignis offered. 

However, the minutes began dragging as they waited. There was no sign of anyone coming out. Maybe she’d been too hasty in saying they were leaving. Ravus and she were probably arguing about it if Gladio knew any better. “Should we radio again, I don’t want to wait any longer than necessary.”

“Aranea probably thinks she’s being funny, well it isn’t working,” Loqi grumbled as he stepped forward and opened the comm line once more. “We’re waiting! How much longer?” His question was met with silence.

“We may need to go out and check ourselves,” Ignis suggested, but he didn’t seem too keen on the idea.

“Let’s go together, I know Gladio can fight we’ve been training together. You, I’m not so sure about.” Loqi quipped as he walked past Ignis on the way to the door.

“Iggy can fight, don’t worry about that.”

“But can he fight well? That’s the real question.”

“We are wasting time gentlemen. Shall we?” Ignis chimed in dryly.

Choosing to ignore the looks he was getting from both Loqi and Ignis, Gladio opened the door and headed out towards the old base. Hopefully, the comm line was merely jammed due to the location. It appeared there was only one way in and one out of the ugly concrete monster. Carefully approaching the door he noted it was ajar. Not wanting to put too much thought behind it Gladio forged on ahead and pushed it open slowly. The space beyond was dark and smelled of mildew.

“I’m thinking Luna probably doesn’t like this place very much, hopefully, she’ll come back without much of a fuss,” Loqi huffed as he squeezed past to take the lead. “Follow me I’ve got the light.”

The base layout was confusing as they navigated further into the depths trying to find any signs of life, Loqi’s flashlight providing the only source of illumination as they walked. The place was eerily quiet for supposedly having three people in residence. Then, when Gladio was about to suggest they turn around he was overcome with a sharp feeling of nausea. Gasping at the shock he stopped and leaned against the wall briefly. 

Ignis was by his side in an instant, “What’s wrong? What happened?” 

“Dunno,” Gladio ground out, “don’t feel so hot at the moment.”

“We should head back and try radioing again.”

“Wait I see somethin’!” Loqi exclaimed.

Peering down the dim corridor Gladio could see a shape in the shadows. Something humanoid was coming closer. When it finally staggered into the beam of Loqi’s light he was at a loss for words. There before them was Luna, but her eyes were nearly shut and she was clutching her side.

“Luna, hang on!” Loqi shouted as he rushed forward. 

The horrible sensation flooded Gladio’s senses again, something wasn’t right. Barely registering that he’d moved Gladio managed to grab Loqi’s collar to yank him back. “Don’t!” he growled, “It’s not right.”

“Hey!” Loqi sputtered as he tried to wrench away from Gladio’s grasp. “It’s Luna and she’s hurt!”

The thing before them in the hallway, that Gladio still wasn’t willing to acknowledge as being Luna, had stopped advancing and was simply standing wavering in place with their hand outstretched. Ignis began to slowly advance but Gladio quickly grabbed his arm as well. “Don’t, please. Something isn’t right.”

“She’s hurt, you idiot!” Loqi all but screamed as he turned to kick at Gladio.

Forced to relinquish his hold Gladio could only watch as Loqi ran forward to help. Ignis also tried to move but Gladio only increased his grip. He might not be able to save Loqi from whatever was in front of them, but he could at least spare Ignis. 

“What are you doing?” Ignis hissed.

The terrible twisting of his gut had only gotten stronger when Loqi reached Luna. “I feel something bad, like when I was captured.” Gladio sucked in a breath as he watched Loqi check _Luna_ for injuries.

“Can I help Luna please?” Ignis begged.

Tugging Ignis closer Gladio wrapped an arm around his waist, “Trust me, stay away from it.”

“It?” Ignis asked with concern. “What on --.”

However, Gladio’s full attention was instantly on Loqi when he cried out in pain. His skin was going pale and there were dark lines appearing where his veins were. Gladio knew that look all too well. He’d seen it on his own arm right after he’d been rescued. Without pause, he released Ignis and shoved him behind while summoning his sword. 

If Gladio had any hesitation regarding what he was about to do, it was put to rest by the cold soulless look he received from the thing that resembled Luna. Moving quickly he thrust his weapon straight through Luna’s heart. Instead of screaming, this Luna thing started laughing. Baring a wicked black stained smile it backed away before disappearing, leaving Gladio’s sword to clatter loudly to the floor.

Assuming the immediate threat was gone Gladio quickly looked down to see Loqi gasping and holding his arm. “How far has it spread?” he asked with worry. 

“Can’t – can’t feel my shoulder,” he managed. 

“Come on we gotta find the real Luna and have her heal you!” Gladio didn’t wait for an answer before he scooped Loqi up into his arms. The kid protested slightly but just as quickly slumped down in defeat. Ignis had already dismissed Gladio’s sword back into the armiger and was holding the flashlight that had fallen way when the fake Luna had attacked Loqi. Gladio didn’t miss the fact that his other hand was wielding a dagger. Things had escalated somewhat.

“I’m afraid we’ve lost the element of surprise,” Ignis offered as he began running down the hallway again. 

Loqi wasn’t lightweight but Gladio carried him easy enough. They had to find Luna, and fast or else Gladio knew what they’d have to do and that idea wasn’t settling well. 

Ignis had taken to shouting Aranea’s name as they progressed. He was about to turn back to try a different corridor when they heard a faint noise. It sounded as if someone was beating on something hard. Searching out the source led them to a bolted door. Someone was on the other side beating on it. Ignis threw open the latch and the door flung outwards nearly hitting the advisor in the face.

“Thank the six!” Aranea hollered, “I thought you’d never get your butts in h--,” She stopped and went wide-eyed at the sight of Loqi. “What the fuck happened?”

“Creepy ass dude that looked like Luna came to taunt us and made Loqi sick.”

“What’s going on?” a softer voice asked from behind Aranea. Luna came into view a second later looking so much more like she should. When she noticed Loqi her face morphed into one of shock, and she tried to squeeze past Aranea. 

“I need you to heal Loqi like you healed me,” Gladio cut in as he stepped forward and pushed past them both entering the small room. It was clear where they’d been sleeping and eating. Ravus was there and had the same reaction as Aranea when he saw Loqi. Going over to a cot in the corner Gladio gently laid the young man down. Luna was by his side and working in a second. Backing away to give Luna space, Gladio hoped she’d be able to heal him.

“What do you mean someone that looked like Luna made him sick?” Ravus asked in horror. “We all became trapped in this room as soon as Aranea arrived.”

“Someone is out there that can infect people with the scourge, and they tricked us by appearing as your sister.” Gladio offered pointedly. Ravus edged slightly closer to Luna, most likely to protect her if need be. 

“Damn,” Aranea huffed quietly, “this isn’t good, the door got stuck right after I called you and then I couldn’t get a signal after that,” Aranea whispered as she hovered to his left. 

“We’d been banging on the door hoping someone would hear us,” Ravus offered, eyes still transfixed on Loqi’s pained form. His skin wasn’t deathly pale anymore and Gladio hoped that meant he was getting better. 

“I don’t think the door got stuck by accident,” Gladio cut in. Looking to the entryway he noted that Ignis was standing guard. “It’s best we leave the door open so we don’t get stuck again. If the radios’ don’t work in here then we’ll have to wait a little bit for backup.”

“Once Luna’s done we’re leaving,” Aranea countered gruffly. “I don’t care if you don’t want to come back, you can’t stay here,” she added glaring at Ravus.

“I advise that we stay together as a group, this person has powers we’ve not encountered before,” Ignis added from his position. 

A small whimper brought all of their focus back to Luna and Loqi. The oracle was leaning forward touching Loqi’s face. “Did it work?” Gladio asked with worry. The kid looked normal again but he didn’t want to assume anything.

Luna simply nodded and then listed to the side. Gladio couldn’t reach her in time, but it was no matter, Ravus had been anticipating this and easily caught his sister when she passed out.

“And now we wait,” Ravus announced as he cradled Luna carefully. “They’ll both be unconscious for a while.”

“Well, let’s get the hell outta here, Ravus you take Luna. Gladio you take Loqi,” Aranea ordered. “Come on specs we’re leaving.”

Ignis shook his head slightly at the nickname but remained at his post. The plan made sense to him and Gladio wasted no time in gathering Loqi up again. For once Ravus didn’t make things difficult and followed suit with Luna. “Who’s gonna lead?” he asked as he walked to the door.

“I’m taking up the rear, Ignis has the lead.”

“Let’s go,” Ignis supplied as they all exited the room and began the journey back out to the dropship.

“The minute that radio starts working Aranea, call for backup!” Gladio demanded as they rushed along.

“On it big guy.”

Before Gladio could comment further an odd buzzing noise erupted, followed by the crackling sound of an old intercom system. “Leaving so soon?” an overly cheery voice rang out. 

“Yes!!” Gladio shouted as he picked up his pace.

“I think not,” the disembodied voice answered right before the world shook. 

The hallway they were walking along had suddenly been turned into a pile of rubble choked with dust. Unable to process much of anything besides still being alive, Gladio shouted out in a panic, “Iggy! Ravus! Aranea! Are you okay?” His own voice sounded weird like he couldn’t hear himself properly. That’s when the dull ringing registered, the explosion they’d just been subjected too would have done a number on his eardrums. Though he thought he could hear someone shouting nearby, he wasn’t sure.

The space was nearly pitch black aside from a lone flashlight lying in the debris. Trying again to access the damage Gladio stumbled forward, still holding Loqi tight to his chest. Ignis’ coughing finally reached his ears as he trudged forward. Thank the astrals, he was alive at least. Once Gladio could make out Ignis’ shape in the darkness, he heaved a sigh of relief. The man stumbled towards him and engulfed Gladio in a hug. 

“I’m alright,” he breathed harshly, “the others we must check on them.” Stifling another cough Ignis picked up his light and peered back into the gloom.

The shouting Gladio wasn’t sure he’d actually heard had been Aranea yelling. She was hunched over Ravus’ form on the floor. Panic took hold again as they rushed over to see. It was only when they were nearly standing next to Aranea could Gladio hear her clearly. 

“He shielded Luna and something hit his head,” Aranea breathed out in a rush. “Ignis help me move Luna so I can check on Ravus.”

Gladio knelt down in the dust to give his arms a break as the pair worked to help Ravus. Looking down Gladio was thankful that Loqi only seemed to be covered in a layer of dust, and nothing more. 

“Aranea, please allow me,” Ignis’ calm voice announced after a moment.

Glancing back up Gladio recognized the familiar pull of magic as Ignis retrieved a potion from the armiger. As soon as the potion took effect Ravus groaned loudly. Luna appeared unscathed as Aranea held her protectively. 

“I’m pretty sure the fucking radio isn’t gonna work in here, but I’ll still try.” Aranea spit out once it was clear they were all going to survive. Though, Gladio wasn’t sure for how much longer if this sicko was out to get them.

“How long do you think we’ll have to wait?” she asked, “For backup, that is.”

“We will have missed the last check-in so I’m guessing at least two more hours.”

“Damn, so we have to avoid dying at the hands of Ardyn for two hours?” Aranea shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“Are you sure it’s him, we have no proof?” Ignis checked as he tended to Ravus wounds.

“It’s him,” Aranea growled, “I just know it.” Pausing she looked around the now crumbling concrete coffin they’d been trapped in and curled her lip. “Dickhead!” she yelled in frustration. Nothing came of her outburst. Perhaps the intercom system had died in the explosion. That was a small blessing. 

Sitting down more comfortably Gladio adjusted Loqi’s prone form in his arms and held him close. They had to make it out of here. He wasn’t going to die in some hole somewhere without a fight. This Ardyn character wanted to toy with them, that much was obvious. They only had to figure out how to outsmart him. 


	13. Coming to Terms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang figure out a few things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy! :)

The dust settled after fifteen minutes which allowed Ignis and Aranea to explore their makeshift prison. What Gladio had initially thought of as being one explosion had actually been two, thereby sealing them inside the hallway from both sides. Sighing quietly he turned to check on the others. Ravus was awake but had his eyes closed, his only movement being the hand that was carefully petting Luna’s hair. She was still unconscious but appeared to be comfortably resting and using her brother's stomach as a pillow. 

Loqi hadn’t stirred once, since Luna had finished healing him. Gladio hoped he would be okay, the kid seemed fine but looks can be deceiving. Unwilling to relinquish his hold Gladio simply sat cradling the former Nif in his lap. So far Loqi was the only person who’d actually be able to relate to what he’d gone through. Well, not all of it, but at least the nearly being consumed by the scourge. 

Suddenly wondering how long he’d been out after Luna had healed him Gladio couldn’t help but ask. “Ravus, how long did it take for me to wake up after Luna healed me?” The man in question groaned softly before shifting his head slightly. Aranea had been nice enough to lend her jacket as a pillow for him. She was rough around the edges but it was clear she had a strong desire to ensure the safety of those she considered allies.

“Wasn’t quick,” Ravus offered after a beat. “M’guessing nearly twelve hours or more.”

“Probably means blondie here is gonna be out for a little while longer then, huh?”

“Maybe, but he was in good health before he was corrupted, I’m sure that will make some difference.”

“Careful Ignis!” Aranea shouted disrupting Gladio’s train of thought. Looking over he was alarmed to see Ignis crouched down with his arm in between a rather large chunk of rubble.

“Nothing has shifted, but I need to see if I can feel an obstacle on the other side. If this debris pile is only a few feet thick we may be able to breakthrough.” Ignis defended as he pushed his arm even further into the small gap. 

“Iggy, please be careful, I don’t want you to lose your freaking arm.” Gladio scolded, he was terrified the pile of unstable concrete would shift and trap him. 

“Fine!” he huffed, “it’s of no matter, I can’t feel anything besides more hard surfaces.”

“Good then you can stop doing that,” Aranea commented right before she roughly pulled Ignis back and sent him sprawling backward on his butt. “You may be okay with endangering yourself like that, but I’m not.” She accused after Ignis shot her a glare.

The two came back over to sit down. It was clear they couldn’t escape from this place. They had no choice but to wait for backup or see if this Ardyn character would attack them again. The guy could easily set off another round of explosives and kill them all. That realization made Gladio’s stomach turn. It wouldn’t be his first choice of how to die but they were at the mercy of this mad man. 

“So, tell me again what happened when you came in to get us?” Aranea asked once she’d checked on Luna and sat down to rest.

“We came in and then someone who looked like Luna approached us, but didn’t say anything. They were injured and kept holding out a hand for help,” Gladio explained.

“What do you mean looked like? Were they blonde and resembled Luna or--.”

“It was the oracle,” Ignis cut in. “If Gladio hadn’t stopped me from assisting her then I’d be in the same boat as Loqi.”

“So an exact copy of Luna? How’s that even possible?”

“I dunno, but when I ran it through with my sword nothing happened.”

“Wait you stabbed Luna?!” Aranea exclaimed.

“It was Ardyn!” Ravus growled, “he’s got magic remember.”

“Still, I never saw him impersonating someone, that’s creepy as shit!”

“You think that was Ardyn I stabbed?” Gladio asked in disbelief. “I thought it was a monster or a daemon.” The idea that he’d already come nearly face to face with this guy was not sitting well.

“I’m almost certain of it, Ardyn is a tricky bastard,” Ravus breathed out harshly.

“It would explain why he was able to seemingly disappear after you attacked.”

“How did you know it wasn’t Luna?” Aranea questioned with a furrowed brow. “If it looked exactly like her how’d you know?”

“Uh, I--,” Gladio wasn’t exactly sure how to describe how he knew. The feeling he’d experienced was nothing he’d ever dealt with before. It was like a sixth sense had awoken in his body, one that specifically reacted to Ardyn. “I felt bad, honestly. I can’t explain it properly but I knew it wasn’t Luna and that’s about it.”

“Huh, I wonder if butterball over there will have the same reaction as you when he wakes up,” quipped Aranea.

“Do let us know if you feel that sensation again,” Ravus added with a wave of his hand. “I’d like some warning, small or not, of Ardyn’s return.”

Nodding Gladio stayed silent, he couldn’t think of anything else to say. He couldn’t exactly see a way to beat someone that could survive being run through. He’d aimed for the heart, there was no mistaking it, but the fake Luna, or Ardyn, simply laughed and ran away. 

A soft moan drew Gladio from his ruminations. Glancing up he noted that Ravus seemed very alert, his focus being on his sister. They all stared intently as Luna worked to regain consciousness. After a few minutes, she blinked her eyelids open and peered back at them owlishly. “Did we crash?” 

Aranea laughed sarcastically, “no, we got blown up.”

Luna’s eyes widened at the admission, “Is everyone alright?”

“Yes, mostly, aside from some expected bumps and bruises we are all okay,” Ignis supplied calmly. “Though, I can’t say with certainty how Loqi is feeling as he hasn’t woken yet.”

“I healed him, I know he’ll be alright,” Luna affirmed with conviction.

“Until he wakes up to tell us otherwise, we’ll have to take your word for it,” Aranea sighed.

“Are we trapped?” Luna asked with worry as she looked around the dimly lit pile of rubble around them.

“I’m afraid so, I’m not sure what Ardyn wants from us but he’s clearly not done yet,” Ravus added while scowling.

“So far, our only advantage has been your ability to heal the scourge,” Gladio threw in to try and make himself feel better. Things were not looking good and he needed some form of good news to latch onto.

“I wish we could harness that power into a weapon,” Aranea huffed, “I know it’s probably impossible but I can still dream.”

Luna remained silent after the comment, it was clear she was thinking hard about something. “Wait, I might be able to bless an object, enchant it in a way. It might actually have an effect on him, it’s worth a try right?”

“When you say enchant what exactly do you mean?” Ravus asked with narrowed eyes.

“If I can heal the scourge then I must have power over him. I might be able to actually heal him!” Luna was getting excited and Gladio hoped she might be onto something. Though it was hard to see how in her current state. She still hadn’t sat up and looked exhausted to boot. 

“You’re barely awake from passing out earlier, and now you want to go around making our weapons into instruments of the gods, themselves. Don’t you think that’s a bit much?” Ravus retorted.

“If he has the power to spread the scourge then he must be stopped, I don’t care at what cost.”

Groaning loudly Ravus threw an arm over his face. “You’re going to try no matter what I say aren’t you?”

Luna attempting to get up was her answer; she struggled at first until Ravus begrudgingly supported her back. “We don’t have much time, he’ll be back I’m sure of it,” she chided reaching out for her brother’s sword.

Watching the oracle work her magic was something to behold. Gladio wasn’t quite sure what he was seeing, but Luna appeared to be gathering her powers and somehow imbuing them into objects. Not that it was obvious except when you handled whatever she’d work on. His own broad sword now thrummed with new energy. Something similar to what it felt like when he used the armiger, but this feeling had more raw power behind it.

After about an hour Luna’s complexion began to pale. She was fading due to working so hard. Ravus noticed right away and ordered his sister to stop what she was doing. Figures Luna would be trying to literally energize every single weapon they had in their arsenal. 

“I must finish this last one,” she murmured.

Wincing with pain Ravus sat up fully and gently pulled the dagger she was holding away. “Rest, I believe you’ve given us a fighting chance.”

“No, I – I must continu--,” she offered weakly before fainted mid-sentence and falling straight into her brother's arms. 

“It’s selfish of me to let her push herself, but this may be our only chance at making a dent when it comes to Ardyn.”

“She seemed pretty excited about the idea, I don’t think she’ll hold it against you,” Aranea supplied as she stood to stretch. “How much more time do we have to wait before the cavalry arrives? I’m getting sick of just sitting here.”

“Would you rather the alternative?” Ignis asked. “I do think this barrier of rubble is keeping our attacker at bay.”

“Then what is he waiting for? Back up is coming so we won’t be stuck in here forever.”

“Perhaps the person he wants isn’t in attendance at the moment,” Ignis lamented. “I wouldn’t be surprised if his real target was Noctis.”

Panic gripped Gladio once Ignis’ words had sunk in. “Is there any way we can warn them? If he comes then Ardyn could attack when they arrive or go to the city to ambush him there. We’re divided and vulnerable!”

“Calm down!” Ravus growled. “We must stay focused or the fight is lost. I know you’re concerned but we can’t let our emotions rule.”

Gladio knew Ravus was right, but the idea still stung. Having to simply wait and see whether they would survive or not. 

“Do you have any of those potions left?” Aranea asked suddenly. “We sorta need Luna to be awake if we actually end up catching Ardyn.”

“Damn, you’re right,” Gladio groaned. “Sure, she gave us magic weapons but without her to deal the final blow we’re kinda just left holding a ticking time bomb.”

“ _If_ we can hold him,” Ravus corrected.

“ _If_ he lets us get close enough to try,” grumbled Ignis.

“You lot are so depressing. I for one am not dying at the hands of a creepy dude. We need to help Luna right now and wait for backup.”

Healing Luna enough to wake her up ended up taking 2 elixirs and 1 potion. The oracle again regained consciousness looking exhausted and not at all rested. Gladio felt terrible for doing this to her but Aranea was right, she needed to be awake for them to even have a fighting chance.

“Wha’ppened?” she slurred.

“Waiting for Ardyn,” was the response that Aranea choose to offer as she paced the small space. “We needed you awake, sorry.”

Luna simply nodded and worked to gain her bearings. “How will we know when help has arrived?” she asked after a moment.

“I wish I knew the answer to that, but I’m afraid we will have to wait to find out,” Ignis sighed.

And wait they did, for nearly another two hours. The beam on their lone flashlight was growing dimmer by the minute. Soon it would flicker and go out leaving them trapped and in the dark. Gladio hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He was about to comment on what their backup plan might be when a distant rumble shook the floor. “What was that?!” he exclaimed hurriedly. “You all felt that too right?”

Based off the wide eyes peering back Gladio figured they’d heard and felt it as well. Wasting no time he began shouting at the top of his lungs. It didn’t take long for the others to join in. Ignis had to shush them a few minutes later when shouts could finally be heard through the rubble. Gladio felt like he could cry, they’d made it! Help had arrived. The only fear left was Ardyn.

The light had officially gone out by the time the others had broken through the immense pile of debris blocking their exit. Gladio had summoned his shield and done his best to keep the dust off of Loqi and Ignis. The only other shield in the armiger had been given to Aranea and she was protecting Ravus and Luna. The rush of stale, but to them, fresh air hit and they all sighed collectively in relief. It was at this moment they could finally see their rescuers.

An entourage of glaive stood on the other side of the now penetrable barrier with Cor and Nyx in the lead. They all hobbled out of their little concrete prison quickly, the risk of getting stuck again too terrifying to consider.

“Who needs medical attention?” Cor asked once they’d cleared the small opening that’d been created with what appeared to be a lot of hard labor and sweat. Granted the glaive had a few more tools at their disposal than they’d had. Namely what looked like a pneumatic jackhammer. That would explain the odd noise they’d heard early on.

We’re all mostly tended to, Marshal,” Ignis offered as he kept walking forward. “I’d like to get outside of this facility as soon as possible.”

Cor nodded and waved the remaining glaive forward. The small sliver of daylight coming out from the door was a sight for sore eyes. Unable to slow his pace Gladio practically ran the rest of the way and promptly collapsed on the grass outside. Thank the astrals they’d made it out of there!

“Big guy? Did –did we die?” Loqi rasped a second later from where he still wrapped in Gladio’s embrace.

“Loqi! Ha you’re alright! We’re still alive but it was a close call there.”

“What happened?” he asked tried to roll his head to the side to see around Gladio’s bulk.

“We got blown up,” Ravus spit out as he approached. He looked the part considering Ignis was half dragging him along.

“Shit, no way, I didn’t wake up at all!”

“Yes way, now do you think you can walk?” Gladio checked as he went to release his hold.

“Walk? Are you fucking kidding big guy? I’m going good holding my head up.”

“Need some assistance?” Cor asked as he strode up next to them.

Gladio shook his head and peered around to see how they’d all managed to arrive. A combination of militarized vehicles was spread out around Aranea’s dropship, dusty from their rigorous journey. It was at that moment that Gladio spotted something terrible. There, in one of the trucks was a familiar silhouette. “We need to leave now! You shouldn’t have let Noct come!” he shouted in a panic. 

Cor merely shrugged, “He was acting like a baby, so I let him come.”

Opening his mouth to argue, Gladio quickly thought of another problematic issue. “Is the king with him?”

“He couldn’t leave Insomnia. You know your father wouldn’t have let him anyway.”

“Still --,” Gladio didn’t have time to finish when a dark shadow passed over them, he could only look over in shock as the rays of the setting sun highlighted the figure of Ardyn standing before them once more.

“Oh joy, you’ve brought me more playmates, how exciting,” he drolled. “I was beginning to think you’d never show up.”


	14. New Arsenal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ardyn's back and he's not in the mood to have a good time at all. -_-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So close people!!! I hope you enjoy the chapter. My favorite thing fluff is around the corner.

Gladio acted on sheer instinct as he released Loqi and summoned his sword. Ardyn was not going to get anywhere near Noct, he wouldn’t allow it. Rushing forward he cried out in rage and charged at Ardyn. The bastard simply laughed at him as he approached. He stood with arms outstretched awaiting his attack, his face twisting into a wicked grin. “That didn’t work last time!” he admonished right before he summoned his own arsenal of weapons.

From a magical armiger.

Like Nocts.

Gladio’s mind was reeling. Who was this guy that he had access to the crystal’s magic? The thought was fleeting as he quickly summoned his own shield to block the oncoming attack. Without much time to process what was happening Gladio hadn’t noticed that Aranea and Ignis had joined him, running alongside their weapons out and at the ready. Focused only on protecting Noct, Gladio could only brace for the impact and hope they’d survive.

Ignis crouched down behind him just as the first clang of metal on metal erupted. Aranea used her polearm to deflect what had come her way. “We can’t let him get to Noct!” Gladio shouted as he summoned his sword once more.

Ardyn’s rich laughter rang out in the ever-growing darkness. “Is that all you’ve got? I expected better from the prince’s shield.”

“You asshole!” Gladio shouted as he charged forward once more intent on hitting his mark this time. “Get away from him!”

Ardyn waved him off casually like he was simply a nuisance, and turned to focus his arsenal on the vehicle Noct was sitting in. Hoping the prince would be able to warp away in time Gladio fought to close the gap between Ardyn and him.

When he was nearly within arm’s reach Ardyn swept his hand around to create a barrier of some kind between them. Without thinking, Gladio swung his sword and slashed at the obstacle.

The slight look of shock on Ardyn’s face almost made Gladio pause in his mission. Had he managed to break through the barrier? The fact that he was still advancing and now close enough to attack meant he  _ had _ passed through the magical wall Ardyn had put up.

Gathering all his energy Gladio swung his sword.

This was the true test of Luna’s powers. 

The sound of a pained howl rattled his eardrums as Gladio made contact with Ardyn, his sword sinking neatly into the man’s shoulder. However, unlike last time Ardyn wasn’t laughing. His face had taken on an expression of disbelief. The wound from the last time, when he’d taken Luna’s form, had turned black and clearly hadn’t caused any discomfort. This time was different. This time he was in pain and it was showing. 

There was no time to dwell on the result when Aranea appeared and thrust her polearm into Ardyn’s side. Again, the man screamed in agony. Ignis attacked a second later with his daggers, digging them into Ardyn’s other shoulder to hold him in place. 

“What – what have – you done?!” he screamed. “I won’t be denied – my –my revenge!” Ardyn reached out with a shaking arm before his legs gave out and he crumpled to the ground. The air was thick with magic as Ardyn kept trying to summon his own armiger of weapons. Each time he tried, it failed, and the panic at not succeeding was starting to show.

Attempting to remove the weapons by hand, Ardyn began to push as the blade lodged in his shoulder. Gladio stood fast and wouldn’t let him wiggle it. However, the small movement he managed must have bolstered his confidence because Ardyn tried to use his magic a second later. A small blast erupted from his own armiger sending out a wave of energy. 

The disturbance knocked over the other approaching glaive, Cor included. Turning quickly to check revealed the men had merely been knocked out. Just out of range Loqi was watching and trying to drag his body closer. A hand grabbing his neck forced his attention back to the issue at hand.

“I – I will not be beaten!” Ardyn hissed as his face turned a sickly color complete with black ichor leaking from his eyes and mouth. 

Knowing what that meant, Gladio elbowed Aranea to shove her away, “Get away, he’ll corrupt you!” He was about to kick Ignis to move him when the advisor abandoned his weapons and ducked to the side. Before he realized it, Gladio felt the daemon's hands tighten at his throat, keeping him in place. Ardyn’s grip wasn’t painful, but it prevented him from moving. He’d been healed by Luna before, he could handle it again if need be. Hoping the oracle was still safe; Gladio tried to look around but couldn’t see any sign of Ravus or his sister.

When the shell of a man before him smiled slightly, Gladio knew what he was trying to do. The scourge was visibly running along Ardyn’s arm and towards him, bracing for the pain he knew was coming, Gladio clenched his teeth and held his sword in place.

However, the pain never came. The overpowering feeling of darkness never took over his senses. The scourge wasn’t taking hold.

“Noooo! I will – not be denied!” Ardyn cried out again. “Why have the gods cursed me?!” he screamed nearly hysterical.

“They have not forsaken you!” Luna managed as she suddenly appeared and all but collapsed next to them. Without any further explanation, Luna grabbed Ardyn’s outstretched arm and closed her eyes. This was it, the moment they’d all been waiting for, could Luna actually heal Ardyn? The flurry of activity nearby fell away as Gladio watched Luna work.

Time slowed and Gladio could only tell things were starting to happen when Ardyn’s grip began to weaken. Finally, his arm fell away from his neck and Ardyn took in a gasping breath of air. Luna still held him firmly, but Gladio could tell she was fading fast. The amount of effort it was taking to rid Ardyn of the scourge must have been monumental.

“Gladio,” Luna rasped hoarsely, “you – you must remove the – the weapons,” she managed.

Cries of panic rang out behind him, but Gladio ignored them and followed Luna’s instruction. Beginning with Aranea’s polearm, he swiftly removed it and winced at the sound of agony Ardyn made. The man made no move to fight back and sat slumped on the ground, he was either unable to fight or unwilling. Gladio wasn’t sure.

Next Gladio removed Ignis’ daggers and tried not to get hung up on the pure look of anguish on Ardyn’s face as he did so. The man was evil but he was clearly in pain and that wasn’t something Gladio wished on anyone. Finally, and with some hesitation, he lifted his own blade away. The effect was immediate; Ardyn sighed in relief and fell onto his back in the dirt.

Ardyn was opening his mouth to say something when he smiled and tried to move his arm. His eyes looked glazed over and he seemed to be staring at everything and nothing. Then, in a blinding flash, he was gone. The air around them briefly filled with thousands of blue sylleblossom petals, floating off into the darkness, lit only by the rising moon. 

Somehow Ravus was there to catch his sister as she lost consciousness. The stress they’d all put the oracle through was heartbreaking, but what else could they have done? Glancing up to the vehicle in a panic, Gladio sprang to his feet and ran over. Noct hadn’t jumped out which was a little disconcerting. Ripping open the door Gladio stared at the seat dumbly. There sitting strapped into the backseat was a very good mannequin dressed up as the crown prince.

The damn windows of the vehicle had been tinted enough that it’d been impossible to tell from a distance. No wonder Cor had been so dismissive about the issue earlier. The marshal knew Noct wasn’t even there. Laughing like an idiot Gladio sank to his knees and worked to keep his composure. It was over, Ardyn was gone.

Unaware that his laughter had turned to tears Gladio could only grab hold of the first person who came over to check on him. Thankfully, it was Ignis and they stayed tangled in each other's arms while Gladio worked to handle his emotions. 

They still had work to do. To ensure the safety of the glaives and to get everybody back home to Insomnia.


	15. Breathing Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life goes back to a new normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a wrap, people! Thank you to those who stuck with this fic. I do apologize for getting beat down by writers block so heavily in the middle there but I survived!! I hope you all enjoy the finale and please feel free to scream at me about this fic or any other for that matter. :)

Winning the fight against Ardyn was a major turning point in the brewing tensions between Lucis and Niflheim. The empire with all of its bravado and fancy tech seemed to have imploded overnight. It wasn’t until a few things had come to light regarding how magitek actually worked, did things begin to make sense. Someone in Niflheim had figured out how to use the scourge as a power source.

Gladio assumed that was why he’d been so heavily tested upon when he’d been captured. They were trying to turn him into one of their own weapons. That experience still gave him nightmares from time to time, but he always managed. His family and friends plus his therapist were instrumental in moving forward.

The liberation of Tenebrae and the other provinces Niflheim had subdued hadn’t been easy, but after a few weeks of fevered fighting, the empire’s forces withdrew. It was clear the tides had turned. The empire had lost its might. No longer able to wield the power of the scourge they were nothing more than a nuisance run by a lunatic dictator. Gladio assumed they’d face their own internal revolution soon; the citizens couldn’t have been happy living under that kind of ruler.

Luna and Ravus had surprised everyone and stayed in Insomnia after Tenebrae had been officially freed. Ignis so aptly pointed out one night that Ravus probably had too many bad memories to contend with there, and Luna wanted to be near Noct.

Aranea was working for the citadel as a consultant. She didn’t exactly stay behind a desk though, she preferred going out in the field. She liked being in the thick of it when the glaives went to help push back the few remaining Niflheim forces. Loqi usually went with her and had commented several times about being interested in becoming an ambassador for Niflheim. His family was high up in the military so he had lots of connections. One's he could still use even standing against the current emperor.

The strangest bit of intel he'd received after Ardyn’s demise was regarding his friend Prompto. A large fire had erupted in one of Niflheim's science facilities right after the last of their forces had been pushed back. Turns out the building was the one where Gladio had been held. The one where he’d sworn he’d seen Prompto in a glass tube. 

After the fire, Lucis sent a team to investigate the burnt-out shell. They were after evidence of war crimes even though the chances were slim. However, what they did uncover added some weight to what Gladio thought he’d seen when he’d been captured. It was obvious that some sort of cloning operation had been taking place. One piece of damning evidence had been a series of coded numbers left on some equipment.

Equipment meant to hold people.

Wondering what Prompto knew of his own existence Gladio decided he’d have to wait and let the blond tell them in his own time. Gladio had never mentioned his vivid memories featuring his friend to anyone. Gladio knew Prompto wasn’t any kind of threat, and he preferred to help keep his friends secret. Whatever it was.

\--

* * *

Staring out the window Gladio sighed softly. He was tired but he also wanted to go out, it was a weird feeling. He must have lingered longer than he intended because Ignis was by his side a moment later looking concerned.

“Is everything alright? I can call and cancel if you’d like.”

“Nah, don’t do that,” Gladio replied. “I’m tired is all, but I still want to see them.”

Smiling Ignis nodded in agreement. “I know the feeling, but we'll have fun. I believe Noct may try and pop the question this evening.”

“No way!” Gladio spluttered. “Doesn’t he want to wait until he’s alone?”

“I think in his own way, he’s attempting to include Ravus so the man doesn’t feel left out.”

“Noct figured this out on his own?” Gladio questioned with a raised eyebrow. “You didn’t help him?”

“Heaven’s no, he arrived on that decision by himself.”

“He’s growing up, that’s nuts.”

“Well, a lot has happened over the past six months. Niflheim has fallen, the wall has been dissolved, the oracle is free, and our prince has been saved from certain death.”

“I still can’t believe we did that.”

“We couldn’t have done it without you, don’t forget that,” Ignis supplied.

“I’m thinking Luna was the big player in that battle, not me.”

“Without your immunity to the scourge, Luna would never have been given the chance to get close enough to heal Ardyn. We were at the apex of the perfect storm.”

“True, though she did heal me in the first place when I was being rescued. So she still gets all the credit in my book,” Gladio announced truthfully.

“Fair enough, but don’t sell yourself short either.”

“I won’t, we made history and I’m sorta still shocked we survived it all.”

“Well then, I suggest we get a move on so we can see another moment in history in the making. Care to wager a bet on whether he’ll cry or not?”

“Who, Noct or Ravus?” Gladio spit out with a laugh.

“Oh, I’d not considered that! Let’s get going so I can find out,” Ignis huffed, but he was smiling.

Gladio felt better and went to grab his coat. They’d started a little tradition of getting together every few weeks for dinner. It was a nice private affair that let them all relax and grow as friends, some more than others in the case of Noct and Luna. Ravus was still adjusting but he was getting more comfortable with everything as the weeks went by. Ignis was even convinced the former commander was trying to find a girlfriend.

Maybe their quiet little dinners would gain another plus one soon. Who knew? Smiling at the thought of life going on as normal, Gladio pulled Ignis over to give him a quick kiss. “Love you,” he offered kindly. “I still can’t believe we won.”

Ignis melted into his embrace and kissed him back, “Believe it, dear, now we only have to make sure Noct grows up to be a great king.”

“I think I can handle that.”

“Good I can’t keep an eye on him all by myself,” Ignis laughed.

“Come on, let’s go. I wanna see Noct cry.”

“Oh, so you think he’ll get teary-eyed huh?”

“Sure, once Luna starts bawling he won’t be able to hold it back. Ravus I’m not so sure about, I’m thinking at most his eyes will water.”

Ignis snorted and shook his head. Opting to shove him towards the door they made their way over to the royal suites where Luna and Ravus were living now. Gladio was proud of Noct and knew he’d take the throne someday as a kind and good king. With a calming breath, Gladio grabbed Ignis’ hand as they walked together. There were so many new adventures to look forward to; Gladio could hardly wait to share them all with his friends and family. 

* * *

#  EPILOGUE:

Gladio heard Ravus shout first before his figure appeared stomping down the hallway with Noct tucked under his arm. Well, Noct’s dummy at least.

“Does he think it’s funny to leave this thing around when he doesn’t want to attend a meeting?” Ravus huffed when he saw Gladio and walked over.

“My guess is he’s hanging out with Luna instead.”

Ravus was about to say more when he sighed and adjusted the dummy in his hold, “Well, he shouldn’t be surprised when he starts getting more work done, with this thing taking his place.”

Gladio couldn’t help but bark out a laugh. Ravus had calmed down significantly since he’d come to Insomnia. With the threat to his sisters’ life gone, he was now relaxing into his new role as Luna’s political advisor and bodyguard. Though Loqi still kept trying to get that position, neither Ravus nor Noct would ever agree to it. Both men seemed to understand that Loqi would simply flirt non-stop with the oracle and that would be a very big distraction. 

“Where you gonna leave it now?” Gladio asked smiling.

“I’m thinking either his training locker or in his shower, but that would require Ignis’ help. I’m not sure how he feels about that kind of thing.”

“What? Scaring the living daylights out of his prince and best friend? I’m not sure, but it’s worth asking,” Gladio laughed. “I do think the locker idea is a good one. I think he’d freak out and probably yell.”

Ravus’ eyes lit up at that admission, “I may have to do that then. I know the little punk will try and prank me back.”

“I have a feeling you’ll get it figured out,” Gladio offered as they parted ways. Ravus simply scoffed and continued on his way. That damn dummy had taken on a life of its own ever since they’d returned from fighting Ardyn. So far it’d been left in the king’s office, Cor’s car, the garden fountain, the window cleaner rig for the citadel, and now Ravus’ office. Apparently, that thing had a lot of life for a mannequin.

Chuckling to himself at where it would end up next, Gladio continued on his way to meet Ignis for lunch. Life was finally starting to feel normal again. They’d vanquished the threat from Niflheim and won out over a two-thousand-year-old prophecy. Against all odds, they’d made it out unscathed. Now their only task was to ensure Noct would make a good king when he took over.

How hard could that be? They had the backup dummy after all. 

#  **THE END**

**Author's Note:**

> I will gladly scream about this fic so feel free to comment or chat with me on twitter or tumblr. :) 
> 
> Check me out on tumblr if you want. Just mostly FFXV stuff with some random dribbles. [BGN846 Blog](https://bgn846.tumblr.com/)
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